Eurobasket
- Group A - matchday 1That's how it was
Spain
114 87
Finalized
Bulgaria
Spain opened a new cycle this Thursday with an overwhelming victory against weak Bulgaria at the start of the Eurobasket.
The selection of the generational change flew in attack against a very tender rival, the type of teams that access the great European tournament when the list of participants is fattened to 24. Scariolo's team took advantage of it, in need of confidence when the squad is full of new faces that appear for the first time on a stage of this height.
The team won by 27 points (114-87) in a collective triumph: seven players added 10 or more points.
Lorenzo Brown added 17 and five assists, for Willy's 16 points and six rebounds and captain Rudy's 14 points.
Also Juancho (13 and seven rebounds) and Garuba (10 and 7) increased the statistics.
The 114 points are the third highest score for Spain in a Eurobasket (after 119 against Estonia in 1993 and 116 against Romania in 1987) and the highest score with Scariolo as coach.
The coach, on the other hand, twisted the gesture for the 87 (31 in the third quarter) that he conceded from a much more limited team like Bulgaria, number 52 in the world ranking ―Spain is second, after the USA―.
Faced with higher mountains, another acceleration will be needed.
Brown, Jaime Fernández, Arostegui, Juancho Hernangómez and Willy Hernangómez.
With that quintet Scariolo started in the replacement tournament.
The pieces fell into place after Willy's first shot missed, a Bulgarian hit after an offensive rebound and a missed triple by Jaime Fernández.
The nerves lasted as long as the team began to give themselves some run and above all to tighten the nuts in defense, more than ever an obligation in a team that does not have plenty of talent in attack or line up those types of players who decide a game or even a championship.
Without great soloists, the orchestra has to be very in tune.
More information
Video summary of the Spain - Bulgaria of the Eurobasket
Brown and Jaime Fernández began to move the band and Willy emerged from that start as the target of many balls, also in search of the best version of Juancho.
Spain needs that step in front of the new player from Toronto, especially waiting for bigger towers in this championship.
Scariolo's anger when Juancho earned a technique for protesting to the referees after two failed attacks acted as an alarm clock.
Since then, the youngest of the brothers multiplied, more aggressive in the area and with the confidence to step on the perimeter and score from a distance.
Spain sailed with comfortable distances.
Vezenkov was slow to wake up, well shackled from the start by the Spanish defense, and the one around him lacked weighty accompaniment beyond the sparks of Kostov and Stoilov.
In this Spain of clenched teeth and in which sweat is not haggled, the leading role was changing shirts.
In the eighth minute, the quintet was already a different one (Alberto Díaz, Rudy, Parra, Pradilla and Garuba).
Other faces, but the same script.
The selection can no longer depend on divine inspirations, but on replicating a collective work.
Jaime Fernández and Alberto Díaz warmed up the wrist from the triple (20-9) and Jaime Pradilla asked for the ball without fear.
The 21-year-old Valencia power forward is one of those guys who wants to put in the miles.
Bulgaria was a candy and everyone took advantage of the banquet.
For example, Lorenzo Brown, who is shedding that shyness with which he landed after his controversial nationalization.
Without ceasing to fulfill the duties that Scariolo underlines, roll up his sleeves, show muscle and serve others (five assists), the point guard with the number 2 won the spotlight in attack with three triples.
Spain opened the gap (41-22, 49-31, 57-35) and the score did not stop flying until it exceeded a hundred.
Rudy celebrated with four triples the event in which he equaled Epi as the second Spanish player with the most international caps (239, only behind Navarro's 253).
The captain is an intelligence treatise.
Before he forced the bodywork at age 37, he displayed stripes from far away from the rim.
The selection stretched the conversion percentage to 64% in shots from two and 45% in triples, in addition to 27 assists.
The reply was in the hands of Vezenkov (26 points and 11 rebounds).
Still deadly beyond the arc 🦾
Rudy Fernandez cashes in 4 threes for Spain's big opener!
🔥#EuroBasket x #BringTheNoise pic.twitter.com/GbxPeJH2LI
– #EuroBasket 2022 (@EuroBasket) September 1, 2022
In the pending account, a little more fever without the ball.
“We have a physical deficiency compared to almost all the rivals, and the smaller you are in your position, the more you have to multiply your energy and aggressiveness.
We must not let the ball enter our area easily, ”Scariolo warned to reduce euphoria.
The rookies added minutes of flight (the seven who had never played a major international event debuted) and shook off their nerves, and Spain signed a required triumph in the mood before meeting with bigger stakes than the cinderella Bulgaria in a Tbilisi pavilion with less than 500 spectators.
Quite the opposite awaits him this Saturday (7:00 p.m.) against the host of this group, Georgia, injured after losing to Belgium (79-76).
A boiler and a greater challenge.
Spain:
Brown (17 points), Jaime Fernández (12), López-Arostegui (5), Juancho Hernangómez (13), Willy Hernangómez (16) -initial quintet-;
Rudy (14), Garuba (10), Pradilla (10), Brizuela (7), Alberto Díaz (5), Sebas Saiz (0) and Joel Parra (5).
Bulgaria:
Alipiev (0 points), Bost (6), Stoilov (12), Vezenkov (26), Marinov (9) -initial quintet-;
Karamfilov (0), Kostov (13), Yanev (0), P. Ivanov (16), A. Ivanov (0), Dimitrov (5) and Simeonov (0).
Partials:
28-17;
29-28;
32-31;
25-21.
First match of the Eurobasket group stage, held at the Tbilisi Arena in Tbilisi (Georgia), before some 500 spectators.
Results and classification of the Eurobasket.
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