Eurobasket 2022 Finals : SPAIN are European champions!!!

[Chuck Diesel]

Think it’s settled that Lorenzo Brown is better than any Greek guard who ever lived, save maybe the naturalized American Nicky Galis.

[azapikoa]

Congrats to Spain! More than 20 years doing wonders.

[minami]

Anyway, I called it a week ago. After they beat Lithuania the tournament was kind of over imo. That was the adversity they needed. The final ended up being one of the easiest games they played.

They aint winning against Germany if Germany wins against Greece.

Germany will win gold it seems.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2225287&p=101201614&hilit=clear+path+to+gold#p101201614

I am not a basketball historian but remember Spain often enjoying rather 'easy' finals, the actual milestones usually happening at the quarters/semis (if not before). And usually they came in as some kind of underdogs, even if (weirdly enough) the Gasols & Co were still around.

*Not saying it was easy this time against France at all, but you get it.

[minami]

And well sorry, couldn´t help it...

[homecourtloss]

This summer, Spain:

Euro MEN -> gold
Euro Under20 MEN -> gold
Euro Under20 WOMEN -> gold
Euro U18 M -> gold
Euro U18 W -> silver
World Cup U17 M -> silver
WC U17 W-> silver
Euro U16 M -> silver
Euro U16 W -> silver

9 competitions, 9 finals

This is just incredible.

[Genjuro]

At this point, Collet should take a leave everytime he faces Scariolo. It's getting embarrassing.

[Taikuri]

My feeling is that if Spain wins gold and Lorenzo brown scores 40 points and 10 assists, FIBA will still give the MVP trophy to Willy Hernangomez, just to save face.

I said this before the game and it happened almost exactly. Brown didn't score 40 points, but in my opinion Lorenzo Brown was the tournament's MVP, but they didn't want to give it to an American player because it would make the entire Eurobasket look bad. Spain should've been out against Lithuania or Germany, if there wasn't Lorenzo Brown in the Spanish team. I'll always remember this Spain's gold as some kind of fake gold, because their MVP was a full American player.

On the positive. I hope that this will make FIBA look on their rules on player naturalization, now that the damage has been done to Eurobasket. Otherwise it will only get worse. Spain set a really bad example here. They are not the first team to do this, but you win gold and your MVP is an American player who has no connections to Spain. So is this team Spain+USA or what is it? I'm very confused. It's hard to see Spain as a national team right now. Lorenzo Brown doesn't even have a distant relative from Spain and he never lived in Spain. So next we will see teams like Estonia, Czech and why not Serbia to follow and naturalize some NBA or Euroleague players if the laws on these countries allow it. If the laws don't allow it, then maybe they can ask their ministry for a special permission, like Spain did.

[Taikuri]

I believe this is somewhat false. He might not have lived in France (this I do not know for sure), but he has, at least to my knowledge, actual ties to France, has close family living there etc. Definitely not the same case as for example Lorenzo Brown. To my understanding France has no history of signing foreigner mercenaries, as they have such great talent pool themselves. I for one do not classify Embiid as a merc. Dude will fit flawlessy with the French team (language-, culture- and basketball skillset-wise) and will lift them to be one of the bigger favorites for the '23 World Cup and the '24 Olympics.

So with that same logic of your's any Canadian who speaks French and whose grand dad lives in France, but that grand dad doesn't have French nationality. Now his Canadian grand son can play for France, because the grand son speaks French? Now he fits team France flawlessly? Tell me the difference with this and your theory on the connection Embiid has with France.

[Taikuri]

I am from Finland. My observation from the Lithuania vs Spain game was this. The game was very close, but Spain had a difference making player in Lorenzo Brown, who isn't Spanish and who has no connections to Spain. By a special request by the Spanish basketball federation Spanish ministry did the unhonorable thing of giving this American player an express Spanish passport. Great ministry! Spanish players wouldn't be in this tournament anymore without this American player. Lithuania would be playing for medals now instead of Spain, because on the next round Lithuania would have beaten Finland in my opinion.

You just forgot the Spanish Inquisition in your weird post, and I say this as lover of Finland.

*Really loved the "unhonorable Spanish Ministry" bit!

What is honorable about letting Lorenzo Brown play for Spain? Nothing. Your post is actually weird.

[Taikuri]

Also, if he wasn´t injured, Spain would have had Rubio instead of Brown, so...

Poor Spain, the only team dealing with devastating injuries. Had to find a way! Italy lost Gallinari at the last match before Eurobasket, Germany could have used Moritz Wagner against you on Friday, but he blew his ankle in training camp, and so on, and so forth...

Exactly. Finland may not be a top team, like Lithuania and Serbia and the likes but Finland did make it to top-8 in this tournament. Finland lost a starting five player as well who had to go to university all of a sudden after the World Cup qualifiers, right before Eurobasket started. To replace this player Finnish laws don't allow giving passports to mercenary players who have zero connections to our country and Finland didn't go asking our ministry for a special permission to replace this player with some random Euroleague player. Spain did othewise. Now you want some of us to respect your country for a gold medal, where this mercenary who has no connections to Spain was in my opinion your team's best player. Lorenzo Brown was your heart and soul. You must be aware that even the Spanish captain Rudy Fernandez was against hiring Lorenzo Brown.

Congrats to France and Germany for their medals. Well deserved.

[ValenciaCeltics]

My feeling is that if Spain wins gold and Lorenzo brown scores 40 points and 10 assists, FIBA will still give the MVP trophy to Willy Hernangomez, just to save face.

I said this before the game and it happened almost exactly. Brown didn't score 40 points, but in my opinion Lorenzo Brown was the tournament's MVP, but they didn't want to give it to an American player because it would make the entire Eurobasket look bad. Spain should've been out against Lithuania or Germany, if there wasn't Lorenzo Brown in the Spanish team. I'll always remember this Spain's gold as some kind of fake gold, because their MVP was a full American player.

You are same person who said 99% Germany was going to win it all.....

Please, before being so critical you could at less check the real performance in the tournament:

PLAYER PPG RPG APG EFF
L.Brown 15,2 1,8 7,6 16,7
Willy He. 17,2 7,0 1,6 19,7




I think Hernangómez performance has been superior. The center obviously was superior in rebounding as the point guard was in assists. Then, Hernangomez is beter in points, in scoring %, and in Efficiency.
It's true that Brown had 2 very good games, and he set the pace of these games, but Willy was the reference always, he was there every single game. He was the top scorer and the top rebounder of the Champion team. As a result, Brown is in the Team of the Tournament too, but Willy was the MVP. Seems fair to me.

[Taikuri]

I am a bit embarrassed about Lorenzo Brown playing for us, but it doesn't make it less amazing. Scariolo is such a great coach, I'm happy especially for him and Rudy, what a career.

What would have happened in the Finland vs Spain game if Lorenzo Brown played for Finland? I think that Finland would win that game. TBH in that case it would have been Lithuania vs Finland game in the quarterfinals when the real MVP of Spain wouldn't have played for Spain in the opening round of the playoffs.

[Mamba81p]

Spain has an unbelievable basketball program.
Since 2006 FIba World Championship they are 34-5 in knockout games(including bronze medal games) against teams other than USA.
They are 0-4 against Team USA(0-5 if you count 2004).
If not for USA they would probably have between 3 and 5 olympic gold medals to add to their 4 eurobaskets and 2 world cups. Amazing!

[Jabroni Lames]

People are getting upset about Lorenzo Brown? Lmao. Credit to Scariolo for turning this G-Leaguer into FIBA MJ.

[Hellcrooner]

I am a bit embarrassed about Lorenzo Brown playing for us, but it doesn't make it less amazing. Scariolo is such a great coach, I'm happy especially for him and Rudy, what a career.

What would have happened in the Finland vs Spain game if Lorenzo Brown played for Finland? I think that Finland would win that game. TBH in that case it would have been Lithuania vs Finland game in the quarterfinals when the real MVP of Spain wouldn't have played for Spain in the opening round of the playoffs.

I think thou shalt get to robaniemi. Ask santa for a truckload of scottex ,poor you , im afraid you will sink finland into te baltic sea with your sour tears.
It was Díaz the key man that sank finland btw.
So in your micley mouse scenarios you have to blame llul for getting injured and opening a spot for him

[Hellcrooner]

Cellphones are a f crap

[Taikuri]

I think Hernangómez performance has been superior. The center obviously was superior in rebounding as the point guard was in assists. Then, Hernangomez is beter in points, in scoring %, and in Efficiency.
It's true that Brown had 2 very good games, and he set the pace of these games, but Willy was the reference always, he was there every single game. He was the top scorer and the top rebounder of the Champion team. As a result, Brown is in the Team of the Tournament too, but Willy was the MVP. Seems fair to me.

It makes no difference which one of them was the MVP. Willy had a good tournament and to me he was close to being the MVP. His all-star nomination was deserved. I think that FIBA didn't want to give the trophy to American player now. Without Lorenzo Brown your team wouldn't have made it to the finals. Lithuania and Germany would've been too much for Spain. If Spanish team got out vs Lithuania, then they wouldn't even consider Hernangomez as the MVP because round 16 eliminated teams' players rarely get that kind of honor. Jokic wasn't in the all-star five for example and it was the right call.

[RiRuHoops]

I bet Finland is for Finns.

[ValenciaCeltics]

I am a bit embarrassed about Lorenzo Brown playing for us, but it doesn't make it less amazing. Scariolo is such a great coach, I'm happy especially for him and Rudy, what a career.

What would have happened in the Finland vs Spain game if Lorenzo Brown played for Finland? I think that Finland would win that game. TBH in that case it would have been Lithuania vs Finland game in the quarterfinals when the real MVP of Spain wouldn't have played for Spain in the opening round of the playoffs.

What would have happened if Riky didnt got injured? (starting PG)
What would have happened if Llull didnt got injured? (bench PG)
What would have happened if Sergio Rodriguez would have played this summer? (he left national team to rest)
What would have happened if Russia didnt got Holden in the 2007 Final against Spain?
What would have happened if Díaz was the starting PG all the tournament and played his defense 30 minutes per game?
What woul have happened if another point guard had been selected in Brown's place and he goes nuclear in the Eurobasket last week?
What would have happened if Pau Gasol had still 20 year? If Doncic was born in a travel their parents made to Finland?

There is no point in "what if".
The fact is that FIBA, not Spain, made that rule (1 naturalized player for squad allowed).
The fact is that Spain, with all their problems at the point guard, did the best with the rules they were given. And dind't search for an NBA All-star player, or even an Euroleague star player... he went for average Euroleague player that just fits well in the system they want to run and who works hard and does not complain or plays selfish.
The fact is that Brown is legally, for working, residence, rights... by law Spanish citizen.
The fact is that Russia defeat Spain in 2007 and they have that Gold medal. It's on the books.
And the fact is that Spain, against all odds, and having far less talent than 8-9 teams... has won the Tournament, brightly and fairly. With 12 rol-players, 1 of wich did'nt born in Spain. Not 1 single of the spanish starters was in the top-6 of the position before the tournament. Even in the games against tier-3 teams like Finland or Turkey, the better player wasn't in the spanish team.

Team won, strategy won. And, yes, good job at Federation office made his part too. All that playing by the rules that OTHERS, NOT SPAIN, set.

[ValenciaCeltics]

People are getting upset about Lorenzo Brown? Lmao. Credit to Scariolo for turning this G-Leaguer into FIBA MJ.

Exactly. That was far, far, far, far more important that any player in the Spanish team.