Rubio, Gasol lead Spain to 2nd World Cup title
Spain has gained its second World Cup championship, defeating Argentina 95-75 on Sunday to present Marc Gasol a uncommon double-title yr.
Event MVP Ricky Rubio scored 20 factors and Sergio Llull added 15 for Spain (Eight-Zero), the ninth crew to make it by way of a World Cup or world championship unbeaten. Gasol scored 14 for the winners, who by no means trailed.
For Gasol, it was a historic win. The Toronto Raptors middle turns into the second participant to win an NBA title and a FIBA world gold medal in the identical yr, becoming a member of Lamar Odom, who did it for the Los Angeles Lakers and USA Basketball in 2010.
Gasol can also be the 19th participant to win both an NBA or WNBA crown together with a gold medal, both of the Olympic or World Cup selection, in the identical yr. And he is the primary to perform that feat whereas representing a nation apart from the U.S.
When Spain gained its first title in 2006, it was Pau Gasol — Marc’s older brother — main the way in which. This time, it was the not-so-little brother who led his nation to gold, hoisting the World Cup trophy three months after getting his palms on the NBA’s Larry O’Brien Trophy for the primary time.
Gabriel Deck scored 24 factors for Argentina (Eight-1), which acquired off to a gradual begin and performed uphill the remainder of the way in which. Luis Scola was held to eight factors, capturing 1-for-10 from the ground.
Spain led 43-31 on the half, using the energy of two massive runs.
Spain ran out to a fast 14-2 lead, solely to have Argentina reply with an 11-Zero spurt. However when that ended, Spain got here again with a 17-1 run and took what was then its greatest lead at 31-14.
Scola, who at 39 years outdated was nonetheless Argentina’s finest participant all through the event, did not get on the scoresheet till he made a pair of free throws with 2:57 left within the third. However they solely reduce the Spain result in 19, and by then the Argentinian followers — who stood within the stands a number of rows from their crew’s bench, singing and chanting for a lot of the sport — have been comparatively quiet.
They in all probability had a good suggestion what was coming.
There was one final gasp from Argentina, an 11-Four run to open the fourth quarter and reduce Spain’s result in 12 with 6:30 left. However Llull’s three-point play on the following Spain possession pushed the lead again to 15.
TIP-INS
Argentina: This was the third FIBA World Cup medal for Argentina, making it the fifth nation with that many after the US (12), Yugoslavia (10), the Soviet Union (eight) and Brazil (six). One other 4 nations have two medals, together with Spain. … Argentina fell to 2-Eight all time in opposition to Spain in World Cup or Olympic competitors.
Spain: It was the fourth consecutive FIBA title sport to be determined by double digits. … It was additionally a double-title yr for Spain coach Sergio Scariolo; he is an assistant on Nick Nurse’s employees in Toronto. … The whole lot went Spain’s manner early — even air balls. Rudy Fernandez took a nook three that sailed lengthy by about two toes, touchdown within the palms of Juancho Hernangomez. He laid within the miss to begin a three-point play, a part of Spain’s 14-2 game-opening run.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Becoming a member of Rubio on the all-tournament crew have been Gasol, Scola, France’s Evan Fournier and Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic.
DIGNITARIES
Among the many massive names in attendance on the ultimate day of the World Cup: Chinese language basketball legend Yao Ming, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, Worldwide Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, FIBA ambassador and five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, and Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili — each four-time NBA champions with San Antonio.
5 WITH 2
Spain is the fifth nation to win the World Cup (or its predecessor, the world championship) at the very least twice. The U.S. and Yugoslavia are five-time champions, the Soviet Union gained three titles and Brazil has gained two.