How well it suited Spain to face such a formidable rival as Angola, without excessive individual talent but with prodigious physicality and commendable faith. The team won and qualified for the semi-finals of the Pre-Olympic, but needed to resort to its best weapons to beat the Africans. After a very tight first half, the connection between Lorenzo Brown y Willy Hernangómez (11 assists for the point guard and 22 points for the center) allowed Scariolo’s boys, who played 200 games in charge of the national team, to open a gap, although their rivals did not let them relax until the middle of the last act.
A perfect test for what is to come. Now, Spain has no safety net and a defeat would mean they would miss the Paris Olympics. Poland or Finland will be their rival in the decisive duel on Saturday.
Angola does not have much talent, but it is a very tough team. Every contact with the Africans left the Spaniards panting, in need of recomposition. Muscles and more muscles that dissolved in an instant after the appearance of Aldamasurely the best player in this group. The Canary Islander is capable of scoring from all positions and in any situation, a blessing for a 2.13-metre athlete. At his side, Spain began to get going, although the physicality of their rivals threatened to turn the match into a marathon.
Willy The Madrid native showed great courage and determination, and was delighted to fight hand to hand. In fact, the team was playing competently on offense, but the problem was on the other side of the court. Angola was loading up with up to four players on the offensive rebound and, no matter how hard they tried, Spain could not stop the bleeding. But again, when the pace became more sluggish and the Africans threatened to get closer on the scoreboard, Aldama took charge of the situation and, like a good professional, he resolved it with spectacular coolness.
The only setback against which the national team had no antidote was the incredible performance of Bruno Fernando. The center, who even stands out for his physical power in the NBA when he plays with the Atlanta Hawks, found no rival. Neither Garuba, nor Willy nor Aldama could stop his explosive and coordinated movements in the post. The Angolan partial was critical at times, but a fantastic save from Pradilla at the buzzer allowed the team to go into half-time with a three-point lead.
It was the great duo they formed Brown and Willy, the one who was the axis of the conquest of the Eurobasket of 2022, the one who changed the tables of the duel. The point guard is a sniper when it comes to passing and the pivot, with a partner who reads his movements perfectly, is unmatched when it comes to scoring in the post. Aldama joined the party and the team, at last, seemed to be able to open a gap. Angola made it difficult but, after five consecutive points of BrizuelaSpain pulled away on the scoreboard. The Barça guard came into his own and with his sharp baskets Angola finally gave up in the last quarter.
2024-07-03 20:33:18
#Brown #Willy #Olympic #dream #alive
