ANKARA (2010 FIBA World Championship) – Greece prevailed 83-80 in a hard fought and exciting game at Ankara Arena.

Vasileios Spanoulis won his duel against JJ Barea, scoring half of his personal Greek National Team record 28 points in the final frame, including hitting all eight of his free-throw attempts in the last quarter.

There was little to separate both sides in a game that saw 22 lead changes and nine ties. It came down to Greece getting Puerto Rico over the foul limit and hitting from the charity stripe.

Barea and Carmelo Lee buried early three-pointers to put Puerto Rico – who were without injured star guard Carlos Arroyo – up 11-6 before Konstantinos Tsartsaris and Vasileios Spanoulis replied with long bombs of their own to edge Greece in front 14-13.

The teams went back and forth until Nathan Peavy connected from long range in the dying seconds of the period to put Puerto Rico up 23-21.

Tsartaris converted two three-point plays to put the Greeks up 28-24.

Barea then took over, scoring 12 of his 15 first-half points in the second quarter to give Manolo Cintron’s team a 41-35 lead at the break.

Ricardo Sanchez buried back-to-back three-pointers to put Puerto Rico up 47-38 early in the third quarter.

Greece answered with a 14-4 run, capped off by a Dimitris Diamantidis lay-up to lead 52-51 midway through the period. Ioannis Bourousis hit from beyond the arc to put the Greeks in front 59-56 heading into the final frame.

Barea got his team within 62-60 and then found Angel Vassallo for a wing three-pointer that had Puerto Rico in front 63-62.  Ramos pushed it to 65-62 but Spanoulis then hit from long range and Bourousis had a spectacular putback that made it 67-65 for Greece with six minutes remaining.

Carmelo Lee broke a 70 all deadlock with a wing three. However, Puerto Rico got over the foul limit and Spanoulis was clutch at the free-throw line, giving his side an 81-75 cushion with 32 seconds to go and they held on.

Quotes:

Jonas Kazlauskas (Greece head coach): “I’m happy with this team. We had some problems. One was the atmosphere and the other was facing bigger players. We changed everything in the second half.”

Ioannis Bourousis (Greece centre): “This was a tough game for us because Puerto Rico played very well. We shot well inside and out and they did too. It was a very good game.”

Manolo Cintron (Puerto Rico head coach): “This was a great game. There is no free-throw shooting (team) like Greece. They were great.”

JJ Barea (Puerto Rico guard): “It was a great game to watch until the fourth quarter. Greece are a great team. We couldn’t keep them off the foul line and they made their free-throws.”


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Tactics and team spirit yet again key for modest Canadians

Teams in Canada’s group may not be trembling with fear at the thought of facing the Canadians, but nor should they take them lightly. Chemistry, tactical intelligence and a massive dose of their famous team spirit are what they will rely on in Turkey.

Canada continue to be a team in transition and one that sticks to their principles. They are pretty much forced to consider that one of the biggest legends in world basketball no longer plays. Just don’t expect this hungry young team to feel sorry for themselves now that veteran Steve Nash has given up on wearing the Maple leaf on his chest.

Under the leadership of Leo Rautins, Canada are beginning to slowly but surely punch above their weight as the head coach continues to oversee a programme of bringing in fresh-faced players and moulding a hard-nosed team with a workmanlike and defensive ethic.

This has served them well in the last couple of years and anyone who doesn’t subscribe to the mantra of Rautins can consider themselves no longer part of the team – no matter who they are or how big their reputation. Just ask Sacramento Kings center Samuel Dalembert. He was thrown out of the National Team programme in 2008 by Rautins after his attitude failed to match the standards laid down by the coach. It pretty much cost them their place at the 2008 Olympics but unity, chemistry and a common goal rule the roost in the Canadian locker room.

Canada can only get wins one way and that is no longer through a marquee and highly-talented individual like Nash. Instead, Rautins has got this team really playing for each other and this is a group that continues to evolve – even being in Turkey for this Championship is a clear indication of their progression.

In fact, while Canada will enter as something of underdogs compared to a lot of other nations in the tournament, there is a quiet confidence about the team and that would have been increased further had Rautins been successful in getting NBA duo Matt Bonner and Jamaal Magloire to Turkey.

Even though both options ended up being exhausted and unsuccessful, Canada are a gutsy team that continues to throw young players into the fray and sticks to its guns when it comes to a basketball programme that has demanded patience and belief. To achieve their vision, Rautins has utilised class acts and experienced players like Jermaine Anderson and more recently defensive kingpin Joel Anthony of the Miami Heat.

Most pleasing of all, the younger players – and not least the coach’s own son and new New York Knicks player Andy Rautins – are getting better and better. With each tournament, their influence is definitely increasing. The biggest blow for Rautins comes via the absence of star man Carl English - a genuine contender for MVP status in any game, who will now sit out the tournament due to an injury as is also the case with forward Jesse Young.

The Turkish experience is simply the latest chapter in what is proving to be a long, but hopefully fruitful journey for Canadian Men’s basketball. After all, it’s a decade since the team hit the ‘heights’ with seventh spot at the 2000 Olympics and progression to the latter stages would be a genuine shock.

But be warned. Canada are not beyond creating shocks. This is evidenced by the fact they surprised an NBA laden Domincan Republic team in the FIBA Americas Championship last year to punch their ticket and reach the World Championships for the first time since 2002. It has went some way to burying the hurt of missing out last time when they failed to qualify in 2006 – for the first time since the 1960’s.

With a superb team chemistry, system that suits their players and a collective spirit that will probably not be bettered anywhere else in the tournament, a lack of depth in terms of quality and talent might not be as much of a hurdle as you might expect .