Spain won their second straight EuroBasket championship yesterday, defeating Tony Parker and France, 98-85. Juan Carlos Navarro, the former Memphis shooting guard, stole the show. Navarro scored 27 points in a victory, describing his Spanish team as “historic.” Pau Gasol went for 17 & 10 while Oklahoma City Thunder center Serge Ibaka added 10 points and five blocks (all during a brief period in the second quarter when Spain jumped on top). This was Ibaka’s first tournament with the Spanish team after being granted citizenship in July. He had this to say about the victory: “This was my destiny and I have achieved my dream. I knew that we were going to win because we have a great team. It is my first year with the team and look! Yes sir, five blocks, that’s right man.” Parker had 26 points in the loss, telling ESPN that Spain was just too experienced. France’s coach, Vincent Collet, had this to say about the champions: “No doubt it was the best team. We tried, for a long time we were not far but not very close either. Every time we got close they found a solution. When you lose to a better team, there is not much to say.” Toronto Raptors guard Jose Calderon had 17 points, Dallas’ Rudy Fernandez had 14 and the Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol scored 11. On the French team, Boris Diaw of the Charlotte Bobcats had 12 points, Chicago Bulls power forward Joakim Noah had 11 & 8, and Nicolas Batum of the Blazers added 10. If the Spanish team continues their dominance, how do you think the U.S. national team will fair against them? The ’08 Spanish took the “Redeem Team” the distance, hanging in there until the final ticks … You ready for this? Rashad McCants told the Boston Globe recently that he wants to be the “best player in the world, not playing basketball.” That’s right, not playing basketball. We’re still trying to figure out what that means. Here’s what he had to say: “Basketball was an opportunity, a means to an end after college, and I planned not to solely depend on basketball, so the lockout doesn’t affect me – I have been locked out two years…I have been blackballed for two years, so these guys are making a big thing out of the lockout. They don’t know what locked out is.” Yea, we still don’t get it. There’s a lot of frustration, anger and confusion soaked up inside him. The problem is that he can’t show any bitterness towards what happened or no one is going to give him another opportunity. At this point, he seems more concerned about his other avenues anyway … According to Realgm.com, John Wall is “getting more confidence in his jump shot.” In other words, BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID. Wall says that he can already do whatever he wants on the court, in reference to his speed and quickness, but now says his jumpers are starting to fall and that he can’t stop working now. This is a scary thought – something we all wanted to see with Rajon Rondo and something we’re all keeping our fingers crossed with for Mr. Wall. During the chances we’ve gotten to see him in person this summer, it still wasn’t consistent, but it’s getting there (his form and balance still isn’t consistent) … Kevin Durant was spotted wearing a Chicago Bulls hat last night. Kind of strange considering that he uh, plays for the Thunder. What are your thoughts on athletes wearing hats of opposing teams or cities? For example, LeBron rocking the Yankees hat when he was still with Cleveland? … We’re out like France.
Follow Dime Magazine on Twitter
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook