http://www.nba.com/2009/news/09/14/eurobasket.ap/index.html LODZ, Poland (AP) -- World champion Spain eased past Lithuania 84-70 on Monday and Turkey hung on to beat Serbia 69-64 in overtime and stay unbeaten at the European basketball championship. Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol led Spain with 19 points and eight rebounds, while guard Juan Carlos Navarro chipped in with 13 points to give the Spaniards their first win in Group F and move them a step closer to the quarterfinals. Trailing 24-15 at the start of the second quarter, Spain guard Rudy Fernandez hit a 3-pointer to spark a 25-3 run over the next 7 minutes that put Spain ahead 40-27. The world champions continued to get out on the fast break, and led by as much as 24 in the fourth quarter before pulling most of their starters. "We played with a very good rhythm today," said Gasol, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. "We raised our level of intensity and were able to run and play our game. That's more the game that we've been so successful with." Spain has struggled to match the level of play it produced in winning the silver medal at last year's Beijing Olympics and the world title in 2006. The team lost its opening game to Serbia, and then fell to Turkey in the first game of the second round. "I think it was an excellent game from our team," Spain coach Sergio Scariolo said. "We are just one step closer to where we want to get. It's a very important step." Lithuania has lost its first two second-round games and is assured of missing out on the quarterfinals for the first time since 2001. Turkey kept its perfect record at the tournament and clinched a quarterfinal spot with a gritty overtime win against Serbia. Forward Hedo Turkoglu tipped in a rebound at the buzzer that appeared to give Turkey the win in regulation, but an official review showed the shot was after time had expired. The Turks then held Serbia scoreless in a sloppy overtime to claim the top spot in Group F. "I really don't know how we won this game," Turkoglu said. "We led the game the whole night, but we made stupid mistakes that almost cost us the game. But in the end we still had good defense." Forward Ersan Ilyasova led Turkey with a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds. Also in Group F, Slovenia beat Poland 76-60 behind 20 points and 9 boards from center Erazem Lorbek. Slovenia held Poland to one point over the first seven minutes of the third quarter to open a 16-point lead that the Poles could never close. "In the second half, we had a bad shooting percentage and we made many turnovers, and against a quality team like Slovenia they make you pay for your mistakes," Poland coach Muli Katzurin said. The top four teams in Group E and Group F advance to the quarterfinals.
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/olybb/news/story?id=4475490 BYDGOSZCZ, Poland -- Defending champion Russia edged Macedonia 71-69 Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals of the European basketball championship. Center Timofey Mozgov had 25 points and 11 rebounds for Russia. Macedonia had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds after Russia threw the ball away with 5.9 seconds to play. But Macedonia guard Dimitar Mirakovski's runner in the lane bounced out at the buzzer and Russia hung on for the win, despite shooting just 1 of 15 on 3-pointers. "We needed to look really far down deep in ourselves to win that ballgame because it was looking pretty bleak," Russia coach David Blatt said. "But in the end, we found it, and I am proud of what we have done and am looking forward to next stage." Pero Antic had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead Macedonia, which was eliminated with the loss. In another Group E matchup, France defeated Greece 71-69 on a jump shot at the buzzer by reserve guard Nando De Colo to stay unbeaten in the tournament. De Colo, drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in 2009, hit two free throws to put France ahead 69-66 with 20 seconds to play. Greece guard Vasileios Spanoulis then drained a 3-pointer with 8 seconds left to tie it up before De Colo's winning shot. France had already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals, and coach Vincent Collet limited the playing time of three of his NBA stars -- Tony Parker, Boris Diaw and Ronny Turiaf. The victory keeps France atop Group E, and Greece in second. Both teams advance to the quarterfinals, which start Thursday in Katowice. Croatia earned the fourth and final quarterfinal spot from Group E with its 70-68 win over Germany.
Anyone watching Poland/Spain today? A couple of NBA related notes: Marcin Gortat doesn't look like a starting quality NBA center which is good because he is a bench player but bad because Orlando paid him like a starter. I'll say this though, he had a pretty exciting alley oop on a pick and roll - one of the best highlights I have seen all year. Juan Carlos Navarro - Houston needs to lure this guy back to the NBA. He's a ridiculous 3pt shooter to make up for an average at best defender. I would love him in the Von Wafer role on our team as a bench shooter/offensive talent. Maciej Lampe - he was playing for Poland and basically looked like the same clueless player he was in the NBA although the stats showed he had a decent tournament this game aside. Sergio Llull - didn't see as much of him as I would like because their roster is so deep. He looks like a decent defender and is obviously very athletic. He had one dunk that showed he can get up there with ease. Seems like he was all over the court at times similar to Ginobili - high energy although part of that could have been that everything was going well for his team. I think he is an interesting asset for Houston to have. Ricky Rubio - wasn't stunning, but he was decent. I know this is almost cliche at this point, but for an 18 yr old he looked amazing and seemed very comfortable in the ball handler role. He already looks like a solid NBA ballhandler - and he showed he had some good court visions in the limited chances he had to showcase it. Still needs a little more polish but it looks like it's going to come together sooner rather than later. Offensively he didn't do too much - had a couple of bad shots that were more a fault of him not being set before he shot the ball. I would still want him on my team though - he will figure all that stuff out with some good coaches.
man just finsihed watching that game.......cant believe poland's ONLY NBA PLAYER whos also their best player got a grand total of about one touch in the whole game......other than the rebounds he pulled down really well and yeah....NAVARRO7 IS A FRECKIN' BEST...BEST PLAYER IN EUROPE AND MVP OF EURO BASKETBALL RIGHT NOW
I watched this game too. Similar to team Argentina, Spain can win games when they have to win. Agreed. I think he is a streaky shooter. I am not sure he is similar to Ginobili. But, he is very athletic. I am a little suprised. His playmaking and defense are great, although his shooting really needs to be improved.
http://www.nba.com/2009/news/09/16/eurobasket.ap/index.html LODZ, Poland (AP) -- World champion Spain pounded Poland 90-68 and Serbia used a late run to beat Lithuania 89-79 on Wednesday to clinch the final two spots in the quarterfinals at the European basketball championship. Spain never trailed against an overmatched Poland, and appears to finally be finding its rhythm after struggling earlier in the tournament. Guard Juan Carlos Navarro led the world champions with 23 points, while Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol chipped in with 20 points and five rebounds. American-born point guard David Logan led Poland with 20 points. "We had a good performance today," Gasol said. "We are growing as a team and we are very much alive in the tournament." Spain, which is looking for its first European title after finishing runner-up six times, faces a stiff test in the quarterfinals on Thursday against France. Led by San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker, the French team cruised through the first two rounds undefeated. "It will be a tough game against France but we have to go through them to get anything done here," Gasol said. "We very much look forward to it." Serbia clinched the other quarterfinal spot up for grabs in Group F with a late barrage of 3-pointers to beat Lithuania 89-79. Trailing 75-71 almost halfway through the fourth quarter, Serbia hit six straight 3-pointers over the next three minutes while holding Lithuania to one bucket to lead 89-77. Point guard Milos Teodosic scored 20 points and handed out 12 assists to lead five Serbian players in double figures. Center Nenad Krstic, who plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder, chipped in with 16 points and four rebounds. "It was a very tough game for us, but it's a great win and we just need to forget about this and prepare for tomorrow's game," Krstic said. Serbia moves on to play defending champion Russia in the quarterfinals. Wednesday's loss dropped Lithuania, a traditional power in the sport, to 1-6 in the tournament and last place in Group F. "We controlled the game but they played patiently and killed us with late 3-pointers," said Lithuania coach Ramunas Butautas, who announced after the loss that he was stepping down as coach. Slovenia nabbed the top spot in Group F, beating Turkey 69-67 to hand the Turks their first loss of the tournament. Turkey had a shot to win it at the buzzer, but guard Engin Atsur's open 3-pointer from the corner bounced out as time expired and Slovenia hung on for the win. Forward Bostjan Nachbar led Slovenia with 16 points, while forward Ersan Ilyasova scored 16 for Turkey. The top four teams in Group E and Group F advanced to the quarterfinals, which start Thursday in Katowice.
After Qualifying Round, Macedonia, Germany, Poland, & Lithuania are out. Quarter-final Schedule (note that, the winners will compete for 1-4, and the losers will compete for 5-8.) 17.09.2009 44/A Russia vs. Serbia -- 12:15 pm ET 43/A France vs. Spain -- 15:00 pm ET 18.09.2009 45/A Turkey vs. Greece --12:15 pm ET 46/A Slovenia vs. Croatia -- 15:00 pm ET http://www.eurobasket2009.org/en/ci...ompID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2009.html
I am very impressed by Gasol and Rubio. I think Gasol is actual MVP of the lakers. Rubio outplayed Parker. His playmaking and defense are super!
http://www.nba.com/2009/news/09/17/Eurobasket2.ap/index.html KATOWICE, Poland (AP) -- KATOWICE, Poland (AP) -- World champion Spain has beaten France 86-66, and Serbia upset Russia 79-68 Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the European basketball championship. Serbia turned up the defensive pressure in the second quarter against the defending champions, taking control with a 17-0 run to build a 38-24 lead. Russia couldn't get closer than 10 points the rest of the game. "We deserved this victory," Serbia coach Dusan Ivkovic. "The key to the game was the bench." Serbia held Russia without a field goal for seven minutes, a stretch that included five turnovers and three missed layups. Guard Uros Tripkovic scored 18 points to lead Serbia, while center Kosta Perovic added 13 points and five rebounds. "They really defended hard, and we stopped playing and we gave into that," Russia coach David Blatt said. "It took us another quarter to recover." Vitalii Fridzon had 15 points for Russia, which had only three players from the team that upset Spain in the 2007 final. Spain dominated previously undefeated France, running out to an early 23-12 lead and extending with hot shooting and a smothering defense that held Tony Parker to just six points. Center Pau Gasol led Spain with 28 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Guard Rudy Fernandez added 16 points and six steals. Spain, which is looking for its first European title after finishing runner-up six times, will play either Greece or Turkey in the semifinals on Saturday.
I wish these games were shown on TV here...just watched the last two on ESPN 360 and they were awesome. Good way to get your basketball fix in the offseason. Especially with Serbia in the semis with the youngest team in the tournament. Ajmo momci...
http://www.nba.com/2009/news/09/18/eurobasket.ap/index.html KATOWICE, Poland (AP) -- Greece hung on for a 76-74 overtime win against Turkey on Friday, and Slovenia overcame a 15-point deficit to beat Croatia 67-65 in the quarterfinals of the European basketball championship semifinals. Greece will play Spain in the semifinals Saturday and Slovenia will face Serbia, a team it beat by 11 in the opening round. Slovenia is in the semis for the first time. Turkey, led by Toronto Raptors star Hedo Turkoglu, won its first five games but lost its last two in the closing seconds and can finish no better than fifth. "It's a shame that we started off so good and didn't close it out as we wanted to," Turkey guard Sinan Guler said. Turkey's Ender Arslan missed a potential game-winning shot as time expired. Vasileios Spanoulis led Greece with 23 points but made seven turnovers. Turkoglu scored all of his 13 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. "I think the key to the game was the excellent defense of our players, and for sure the individual game that Spanoulis showed today," Greece coach Jonas Kazlauskas said. Arslan helped force overtime when he drove past Antonios Fotsis for a left-handed layup at the end of regulation. Greece went ahead 75-69 with 1:16 to play in overtime when Spanoulis hit his second 3-pointer of the period with the shot clock winding down. Turkey drew to 75-74 on Ersan Ilyasova's 3-pointer and a basket by Turkoglu before Greece's Nikolaos Zisis sank a free throw to make it 76-74 with 9.8 seconds left. Arslan's 3-point try from the top of the key at the buzzer bounced out. "It's an incredible feeling to reach the best four in Europe with such a young team," Spanoulis said. "We made mistakes because we were so hungry for the win." Slovenia was backed by center Erazem Lorbek's 27 points and eight rebounds. Roko-Leni Ukic led Croatia with 21 points and four steals. Slovenia used a smothering defense in the second half, limiting Croatia to 18 points. Croatia went scoreless for a nearly nine-minute stretch. Slovenia trailed by 15 in the first half but Lorbek put his team ahead for the first time since the opening minute. His turnaround jumper in the lane made it 51-50 and Slovenia never trailed again. "In the first half the shots weren't going in, but we stuck to the plan," forward Uros Slokar said. "We played defense; we kept going with defense."
Semi-finals, 19.09.2009 Competing for 5-8 France vs. Turkey -- 6:00 am ET Russia vs. Croatia -- 8:15 am ET Competing for 1-4 Spain vs. Greece -- 12:30 pm ET Serbia vs. Slovenia -- 3:00 pm ET http://www.eurobasket2009.org/en/ci...ompID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2009.html Note that, Europe has 6 tickets for 2010 Turkey world championship. In addition, Turkey is the host. They have qualified automatically. Thus, only one team in the top 8 won't qualify for the world champioship.
Hahaha, Greece got destroyed by Spain. It was awesome match, and Spain played very well... Result: 82:64 for Spain.
