Serbia loses bronze, as Spain reaches gold

Serbia’s National team wasn’t able to recover from their first defeat on the competition. Instead, they lost a chance to win the European bronze, and ended up fourth.

The players of Aleksandar Đorđević lost to France, by 81:86. A lack of initiative and precision, for a less then glorious ending of the Championship. Serbia is now left to compete in one of the qualifying tournaments, for another chance to reach Rio.

There is a lot to learn from only two defeats on the competition, that have unfortunately come at the worst of times. The lack of stability in the entire team, caused by an inopportune defeat in the semis, didn’t ware off by today, as the final result shows. Serbia’s key players have performed much below their capabilities, but their talent, team spirit, and the coaching staff’s leadership are bound to take this squad to the next level. The potential is there. It is only  a matter of fully developing it.

On another note, Spain is the new European championship. La roja has once again reached gold, as the players of Sergio Scariolo have defeated a combative Lithuania. The final result, 80:63.

Once again, Pau Gasol proved himself as a key player to the team, overcoming the very low expectations of the Spanish fans, before the beginning of the Eurobasket. The versatile player has achieved another double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds. An absolutely undoubted MVP.

The experience of the Spanish players, alongside their stability has managed to compensate for the absence of many standardized  first team players, such as Marc Gasol and Ricky Rubio. Their good standings on the free throws, and key point plays have helped them reach the European throne.

The “other side of the medal”, is the injury Rudy Fernandez sustained during the finals match. He ran into Paulius Jankunas, full speed and fell. Eventually, he had to be escorted out and receive full medical assistance.The extent of his injury is still unknown, but a concussion is a very likely possibility.

This is Spain’s third European gold medal.