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Spain downs Greece to win basketball title
(AP)
Updated: 2006-09-03 20:49
SAITAMA, Japan -- With injured Pau Gasol cheering his teammates from the
bench, Spain beat Greece 70-47 Sunday to claim its first basketball world
championship.
The 2.13-meter (7-foot) Gasol led Spain (9-0) in scoring
and rebounding throughout the tournament. When he broke his foot with about a
minute left in the 75-74 semifinal win over Argentina, his team's gold-medal
hopes dimmed considerably.
Spain's Pau Gasol
raises the Naismith trophy after their victory over Greece during their
final game at the world basketball championships in Saitama, Japan,
September 3, 2006. [Reuters] | Especially
considering a near perfect performance by Greece (8-1) in a 101-95 semifinal win
over the United States. The European champions put on an impressive offensive
and defensive display in getting to the final for the first time.
Felipe
Reyes started in Gasol's place and had 10 points in the first half, one less
than he had in the whole tournament - he was limited to three games because of
back problems.
Gasol's younger brother, Marc, gave Spain big minutes
early in the middle. He had three rebounds in the game's first 17 minutes. He
averaged 1.9 coming into Sunday's game.
Everything went Spain's way as
it took a 43-23 halftime lead. Its other stars were playing at their normal
level and the bench was playing well above its head.
Meanwhile, Greece
looked nothing like the team that had received plaudits from around the world
for the way it convincingly beat the United States.
Greece shot 63
percent in the semifinal win. In the first half against Spain, the percentage
was less than half that (31 percent).
There was no big push from Greece
in the third quarter. Gasol's teammates wouldn't allow it.
The lead was
54-34 with 10 minutes to go. It got only bigger, and Greece couldn't even score
half as many points as it did against the United States.
Gasol came out
of the players' tunnel before the game on crutches, wearing his red warmup top
and jeans. As he sat on the bench while the teams were warming up, Greece
forward Sofoklis Schortsanitis and coach Panagiotis Yannakis came over to him
for visits.
He was up and hopping on one foot for each huddle. Players
hugged him or slapped hands with him at each timeout. They were winning this
game for him.
Gasol, who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies, averaged 21.3
points and 9.4 rebounds. He has a partial fracture in his left foot, an injury
the Grizzlies said will require surgery.
Jorge Garbajosa, who signed
with the Toronto Raptors this summer, and Juan Carlos Navarro each had 20 points
for Spain, which was fourth in 1982. Reyes finished with those 10 points and
Marc Gasol grabbed four more rebounds, but their play off the bench was much
more than numbers.
Mihalis Kakiouzis had 17 points for Greece, which
finished fourth in 1994 and 1998.
It was Europe's third straight world title
- Yugoslavia won in 1998 and 2002 - and it will have the home continent
advantage in 2010 with the tournament in Turkey.
The United States won
the bronze medal with a 96-81 victory over Argentina on
Saturday.
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