I think Latvia would have less chance against Spain than us. Spaniards have enough big bodies to throw at Porzingis and a long bench to keep up with high pace. Latvians would keep up with Spain for 3 quarters and then crawl into 4th. Not sure if same happens to us lol.
I don't know man, if not for a few horrible officiating errors, Latvia could have beaten Slovenia. However, it is possible that Slovenia matches up better with Spain than Latvia does. One thing to have in mind is that Doncic might not be nearly as effective against Spain as he was against the Latvians. I think those Spanish coaches know his game in and out, as well as his weaknesses and can game plan against him, so there shouldn't be any element of surprise. It's probably going to come down to Dragic, and if he can carry you to victory. I defintely think you have a shot at winning, although I would probably say it's somewhere around 10-15%. Hard to bet against Spain.
There were some officiating errors that hurt us too, so I guess they cancel each other out. Why that elbow on Dragić wasn't a flagrant, is beyond me. Also Porzingis jumping into Dončić while he was launching three without any consequences was funny. If Dončić and Dragić attack Gasol brothers and put them in foul trouble early, then we have some hope. I fear Spain will attack Dončić with their best guards. His defense is not good against quick guards that look to drive, and Marc Gasol can keep our centers out of the paint when camping on three point line. We'll see...Spain is a heavy favourite, but if our team comes out as hungry for victory as it did against Latvia, then I like our chances.
The most surprising thing in this tournament is this line - 12/28 from behind the arc (43%), it was 12/25 (48%) before quarter-finals. No way you guys would have guessed that this belongs to Ricky Rubio.
He has definitely been solid from beyond the arc, but we also need to remember that the slightly shorter three-point distance in Europe may have something to do with this.
Slovenia doing well so far. Even if they lose, as long as it's not a blowout, I'll say they did well.
I have to say, I really did not expect Slovenia to beat Spain. They surprised me. They definitely deserve to become the champions.
The bank is open! It's crazy how they were better today..Dragic MVP, Doncic may have a triple-double today
