Lorenzo Brown plays pocha

The Spain of change has many faces.

Under the wing of captain Rudy, a group has grown with seven debutants in a great event that has had to mature at a forced pace in a high-level Eurobasket.

From adolescence to adulthood, the team that presented itself at the tournament with the idea of ​​adding filming in the face of higher levels (2023 World Cup, 2024 Games) has slipped back on the road to medals.

The victory against Lithuania (102-94) has planted Spain in the quarterfinals that it will play this Tuesday (17.15, Four) against Finland, who defeated Croatia 86-94.

It is the 21st time in a row, since 1979, that the Spanish team has been among the top eight in a European Championship, a record in which they have beaten the USSR.

Without the Gasol brothers, without Ricky or Llull or Sergio Rodríguez,

All 12 plugged in.

”If we think we are the same as before, it will be a guaranteed failure.

There is less talent.

We have to be aware of our limitations,” Scariolo warned before flying to Tbilisi.

The locker room internalized it to spread the sweat.

Today there are 12 players plugged in, none has left the rotation and even the least used by the coach, Sebas Saiz (six minutes on average per game), has had his moments of prominence.

Willy Hernangómez commands the statistics as the team's top scorer (16.3) and rebounder (7.5), accompanied as the starting inside partner in the last three games by Jaime Pradilla.

The young Valencia power forward, 21, studied a master's degree against Valanciunas and Sabonis.

His growth from tournament preparation to the matches in Georgia and Germany has been as high as Garuba's, a monument to fighting.

The Houston Rockets player arrived at the concentration camp out of his best form and with the call up in the air due to injury, but he has sprinted and from his 2.03m he was able to anticipate Valanciunas in another delivery exercise in each of the Rings.

Difficult to do more with less.

Juancho Hernangómez gets on that train at the right time, who seems to have regained confidence in his talent to fight in the area and fine-tune his wrist from the triple.

One more added to the cause.

For the path he has traveled, Alberto Díaz is another reflection of this hard-working Spain.

He was one of Scariolo's discards but the coach brought him back at the last minute after Llull's injury, in need of a defensive specialist.

Diaz has responded in spades.

Against Turkey, in the duel that decided the leadership of group A, he caused Sengun's fifth foul, in attack, and stole a providential ball from Larkin with 19 seconds to go.

Against Lithuania, with Spain one up with 26 seconds left and the ball to the rival, he took a crucial offensive foul from Sabonis.

From signing to decisive.

Lorenzo Brown entered the Spanish locker room avoiding the fire that caused his express nationalization without having any ties with the country or with national basketball and has ended up joining the pocha games with his new teammates.

“Here I am a simple American.

These guys speak Spanish and I am learning every day.

It's amazing how I've been treated.

I don't care what happens outside, only what these guys think.

They love me and I love them”, said Brown after the victory against Lithuania.

It was his explosion with Spain: 28 points and eight assists.

And an extension that he made his own by intervening in 17 of the team's 19 points: 12 points and two passes, one to Garuba for him to crush and another to Willy for a two plus one.

They are only capped 12 times, but Brown has earned at least clearing doubts about his game.

One of every three assists in Spain (40 of 121) is named after him, leader of the team with an average of 6.7 per game.

Looking ahead, the expected recovery of the injured Ricky and Alocén, and the good performance of Brown and Alberto Díaz in this tournament increase the competition for the point guard position.

The Scariolo Slate.

Against Lithuania, “a plan” was bubbling in Scariolo's head after the two defeats during the preparation phase in August against the team of Valanciunas and Sabonis.

In the chess game against his colleague Kazys Maksvytis, the Italian came up with several moves that helped the comeback.

For example, a zone with which he invited Lithuania to play the three-point card over and over again, and thus they shot almost as many (30, with 19 misses) as they shot two (31).

And the lineup of Lorenzo Brown as shooting guard in overtime with Alberto Díaz officiating as point guard.

Freed from the direction of the game, the nationalized multiplied his offensive production.

Scariolo's continuity has been key to managing this time of generational change.

At 61 years old, the coach has a contract until the 2024 Paris Games, the goal of the cycle that has begun in this Eurobasket and that has an intermediate stop in the World Cup next summer.

Scariolo won the Super Cup and the Eurocup last season with the Virtus Bologna, a double that was "an injection of confidence and security".

“I had to show my competitiveness,” he says.

With the national team he seeks his eighth medal after three European golds (2009, 2011 and 2015) and another world (2019), an Olympic silver (2012), and a European bronze (2017) and another in the Games (2016).

Rudy and the defense.

Spain adds 88.8 points on average in attack, a loot that has been squeezed thanks to its defensive strength.

That's where the captain rolls up, Rudy Fernández, who at 37 years old stretches a career with 16 major events played and the Games in sight.

If he lands in Paris, the Spaniard will become the only basketball player in history with six Olympic appearances.

And by then he will surely have extended his 244 caps as an international over Juan Carlos Navarro's record of 253.

Rudy as a mirror for Alberto Díaz or Joel Parra to tighten the nuts without the ball and extend their arms in each corner.

He is also the player with whom Spain has the most advantage on the scoreboard when he is on court.

The crosses of the final phase of the Eurobasket.

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