Spain doesn’t perceive transitions, past these made by Queralt Casas -whose sport was great- at full pace. The nationwide crew had turn into accustomed to being among the many finest on the planet and Solely the parenthesis of the Tokyo Video games, a fateful summer season in each sense, slowed down what appeared to be an unstoppable march. which has not taken lengthy to get better. Spain is as soon as once more within the prime of the world order as they demonstrated towards China, world runners-up, with a victory of substance and character (90-89) to debut his profession on the Video games.
The match leaves many readings and all constructive for Miguel Méndez’s crew. The primary and to be honest is that of Megan Gustafson. The Port Wing participant continues to be searching for a spot that can undertake her as Albacete did with Lorenzo Brown, however with performances just like the one she signed towards the Asian big. has given the Galician coach motive along with his alternative.
The American has proven in her first massive sport with the nationwide crew that her offensive potential could make the distinction in FIBA basketball. She barely has any minutes within the WNBA, however she had already confirmed with the London Lions that she has data which are tough for rivals to defend towards when dealing with the opposing hoop. His back-to-the-rim play, his feints and his ending had been a nightmare for the Chinese language towers, with three gamers over 1.95 and with Yao Ming’s 2.20 from the bench.
Megan had already proven indicators of her high quality throughout the Pre-Olympic Video games in Sopron, the place she was already the highest scorer. However he had one massive sport left as a frontrunner. And she or he did it towards China, after only a week of coaching and solely two friendlies along with her teammates after having pushed the primary a part of the WNBA season to the tip. The Wisconsin native, nevertheless, demonstrated with 29 factors and eight rebounds that she is among the new pillars of this crew, which is steadily introducing a brand new era.
With María Conde injured and Alba Torrens solely taking part in 9 minutesthe brand new ones weren’t afraid to step ahead. Particularly Leo Rodríguez, who’s one other of the massive information from this primary matchThe canary is an everyday within the nationwide crew, however he was lacking to kick down the door in a match of this magnitude. And towards China he did it in an enormous method. Not solely with the triple that despatched the sport into additional time. He had beforehand achieved it by completely studying the rival protection and benefiting from the gaps they left on the left. to interrupt the traces when the sport was at its worst for Spain. A crucial audacity for when the crosses arrive.
Megan and Leo had been the perfect information of a crew that based mostly its victory on protection and that At no level did he lose face within the face of China’s accuracy from three-point vary (9 of 20) and its inside sport. The script states that depth is the important thing for the nationwide crew in relation to closing the ring and Méndez’s troops have understood the maxim from the start.
With depth, legs and arms, Spain compelled as much as 23 losses from the Asian crew, which allowed gamers like Queralt Casas to run that hardly want a spark to gentle the fuse of pace. In that defensive work, typically invisible, highlights the work and put on and tear of Gustafson and Gil and particularly that of Mariona Ortiz, who ended up exhausted from all of the work she did between the traces to spoil the Chinese language’s after-dinner dialogwho had been left and not using a completely happy household due to a Spain that has recovered its essence. And that could be a hazard for all of its rivals.
