Greek hoopsters are bettered by Spain in crucial game

Greece came up short for a second time at the basketball tournament of the Olympic Games on Tuesday, going down 84-77 to Spain in Lille, in a great European derby, a traditional battle between two of the continent’s greatest basketball forces. The Greek hoopsters still have an outside chance to qualify though.

Just like in the first game of the pool, against Canada, Greece played catch-up against the Spanish who led for most of this crucial match.

Greece actually made a good start to the game, advancing by eight during the first quarter (20-12), but the Spanish reverted to a zone defense and bounced back to close the gap by the end of Q1 (22-21). 

They then produced an impressive performance in the second period during which the Greek defense was hardly present. The Spaniards scored at will (28 points in 10 minutes) to break away with a 14-point lead by half-time (49-35).

The Greeks tried to respond to the zone defense with triple after triple, but they were not on their day.

Spain clearly outpaced Greece on both ends of the court, as the Greek fast-breaks often came up against a quickly regrouped defense, while the players of Sergio Scariolo produced better-worked plays in offense that Greece appeared ill-prepared for.

In the third quarter Greece improved and managed to slash its deficit from 16 points (51-35) to six (62-56), but the Spanish were always in control of the game.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was efficient in attack, but often seemed all alone, as the rest of the team opted for triples instead in the face of the opponents’ tight marking. Yet even Giannis appeared to show lapses of concentration in defense.

In the final quarter, the Spanish sensed their opportunity from their excellent shooting rate (at times over 50%, 48% in the end) outside the 6.75-meter line to remain ahead, even after the Greeks drew level (71-71). A partial 8-0 by the Spanish team tipped the balance in their favor for good.

Giannis ended the game with 27 points, while Vasilis Toliopoulos scored 14.

Greece’s final group game is on Friday against Australia. This is the last chance for Vasilis Spanoulis and his players to come up with something or return to Greece empty-handed.