France needed a good start against the pick-your-poison talent on Spain's roster. They got that spark on Sunday. But Spain still outscored France in three of the four quarters, winning the 2011 Eurobasket, 98-85.
Tony Parker's jumper in the first period gave France their third and last lead of the game, at 10-8. Spain's slow defensive rotations allowed the French several uncontested layups. Both teams had played 11 games in 19 days. That didn't affect France at first, and Spain looked rather sluggish. The poles shifted quickly.
Jose Calderon followed Parker's shot with a three-pointer. Parker committed an offensive foul on the next possession. Then he ended up on his back attempting to defend, as Calderon made a 19-footer. Spain led, 13-10.
Spain opened up the first double-digit cushion at 6:36 of the second period. Navarro pitched the ball to Marc Gasol for a swinging slam dunk. The score was 36-26.
France had a 7-0 run in about thirty seconds that closed the gap to five, 45-41. That was as close as they got the rest of the game.
In the fourth period France didn't even get within single digits. Parker and his mates were not helped by the lane presence of 6-10 Serge Ibaka, who had five blocks--all in the first half. Yet the biggest issue that all opponents have with Spain is their depth. Any one of the starters can cause damage.
Tonight, that included Juan Carlos Navarro. He finished Eurobasket on a scoring tear, dropping 27 points on the French team. Most recently he had 35 (Macedonia, semifinals) and 26 (Slovenia, quarterfinal round).
This was Spain's third-straight appearance in the title game. Many of the players know one another from years of being teammates. That familiarity shows on the court, as they assist on more than half of their field goals.
Spain shot 55% tonight. The French also had a good percentage, but when Spain's talent has momentum, few teams in the world can best them.
Both teams are headed to the 2012 Olympics by virtue of reaching the championship game. Spain and France join the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Tunisia, and host Great Britain.
Four more teams will round out the men's Olympic basketball tournament: Asia's representative is crowned in the fall of '11, and the others come from next summer's qualifying tourney.
Chris DeBrie - Chris DeBrie has written for "The Appalachian", Examiner, and The 12th Man. He is the author of several novels.
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