The roadmap of the Spanish team of basketball in the World Cup it begins to be clearly defined. He solvent victory against Brazil has assured him the qualification for the second phase, without him needing to rush to the last day, in which this Wednesday he will face Iran (3:30 p.m., Teledeporte), a rival with no options, with the aim of achieving a plenary session that will facilitate the path to the quarterfinals. Rudy Fernandez will match in the match the 253 internationals of Juan Carlos Navarrowho until now holds the record in the men’s team.
“We have to continue to refine our game and progress in the championship, but without taking risks for what awaits us. We know that they will take the game to a physical level,” Scariolo points out about the objectives of this third game for the team. “We are in a good line and we want to complete the 3-0, because as is the format of the championship, every game counts,” says the point guard from Malaga Alberto Diaz.
Spain already knows which will be the rivals with whom the pass will have to be played. The first two of their group, G, will face the first two of group H, whose places are for Canada and Latvia. The Baltic team, despite not having their great star in this tournament, Kristaps Porzingis, transferred this summer to the Boston Celtics, starred in the great surprise of this championship by surprisingly eliminating France, one of the candidates to dispute the gold to USA. Canada, under the orders of the Badalonian Jordi Fernandezhas shown enormous potential and this Tuesday forcefully beat the Latvian team (101-75) with 27 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma) and 22 points of J.R. Barrett (Knicks).
To win a match
After the second phase, to which all the results of the first are carried over, the top two in each group, made up of four teams, will advance to the quarterfinals. That supposes that Spain it would be enough for him to win one of the matches, either Latvia, good to Canada, to access the final phase of the competition, which will now be played only in Manila (Philippines).
“We will work on the things that we have to improve. I don’t expect anything more than two very even games against two great teams that we know well and with a very high level. We have very close references to one of them, Canada, from the preparation tour,” he admitted. Scariolo, which also highlighted one of the points to improve. “One of the problems against Brazil was the offensive rebounds they conceded. willy he did not play his best game. He has done very well with Spain and he will surely play well in the following ones”, he commented on the performance of the eldest of the brothers. hernangomezwithout going into too many assessments about the two enormously important rivals that awaits him.
Special date for Rudy
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“We are going step by step & rdquor ;, says the technician. And the following is the one that will close the first phase this Wednesday against Iran, a team that has offered a good image but was eliminated after losing toand Ivory Coast (71-69). The center Hamed Haddadi, 2.18 tall, is his main reference. This season he has averaged 12.1 points, 10.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists in the China League with the Sichuan Blue Whales. But at 38, he is far from the form that led him to become the first Iranian to play in the NBA, as far ass Memphis Grizzlies, where he came to coincide with a young Marc Gasol.
For Rudy Fernández, the match against Iran will be very special. He will reach the 253 international appearances of Juan Carlos Navarro, who up to now held the solo record and this Friday he will be able to surpass him in the second round, against Latvia or Canada. The Madrid player faces his fifth World (the first European to achieve it) and has entered a select group of 14 players with these numbers, among which is Marcelinho Huertas.