Finland will meet Spain in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at 18:15. Broadcast on TV2 and Areena at 6 p.m. Urheilu follows the European Championships in this article.
The Finnish men’s national basketball team will challenge the reigning world champion Spain in the quarter-finals of the European Championship on Tuesday evening. For the first time in its history, Finland is playing in the quarter-finals of the prestigious tournament, when it won Lauri Markkanen winged by a great day in the quarterfinals of Croatia.
Sports expert Antero Lehto tells what to expect and what Finland’s possibilities are.
Before the EC tournament, the American back man was talked about in the Spanish media and also within the national team by Lorenzo Brown recruitment.
Lorenzo Brown is the number one ball player
Lorenzo Brown has become Spain’s number one star. The 32-year-old Brown is an American-born guard who played in the NBA from 2013 to 2019, but did not get a significant role. The regular season games in Philadelphia, Phoenix and Toronto accumulated only 103.
– He is the most important and dominant player in the Spanish team. He spins the offensive end play with a ball, says Lehto.
Already during his NBA years, Brown went to play in China. In 2019, he moved to Europe, where he has played for Red Star of Serbia, Fenerbahce in Turkey and Kazan in Russia. Brown left Kazan after Russia invaded Ukraine and will play next season in Israel for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The 196-centimeter Brown has played in the EC tournament with a match average of 14 points and 6.7 assists. In the quarterfinals against Lithuania, he quickly raised his level: 28 points and 8 assists.
The Lithuania match was only decided in extra time in favor of Spain 102–94. In the decisive moments, Brown was unstoppable. Spain scored 19 points in overtime, Brown scored 12 of them.
– Brown is able to make the teammates around him better. He makes timely passes to big men on the roll and finds shooters in the corners and at the arc. He also has the ability to make points both by driving and throwing, Lehto describes.
The captain objected to the recruitment
Brown got a Spanish passport and only joined the Spanish national team for this European Championship – same as Jaleen Smith to the Croatian team. Brown had no ties to Spain before being recruited by the Spanish Federation. The situation around the so-called “buyers” has been talked about in the EC tournament and in previous value competitions as well.
In Spain, recruitment was not only viewed with joy. Spain’s experienced captain, 37 years old Rudy Fernandez opposed Brown’s acquisition According to the Eurohoops basketball website (you will be redirected to another service). In Fernandez’s opinion, it sounded strange that a basketball powerhouse, the reigning world champion, would end up with such a solution.
According to Fernandez, the problem was that Brown had no connection to Spanish basketball.
“If Brown is there, we have to try to help him as much as possible because ultimately he will help us compete.” But many Spanish players have earned the playmaker’s position and now they are not getting what they deserve, Fernandez stated.
Editor of the Spanish AS Alfredo Relano found Brown’s acquisition embarrassing (you switch to another service). He pointed out that citizenship exchanges have been seen in international sports for decades, but in Spain athletes can usually apply for citizenship after living in the country for two years. Relano considered the situation unfair.
– There has always been some kind of connection to the country: place of residence, family roots… In Brown’s case, there is nothing. He is a completely random player and Spain humiliated themselves by signing him, Relano fumed.
Spain coach Sergio Scariolo denied According to AS magazine (you switch to another service), that he would have wanted Brown on the team, but the initiative came from the Spanish Basketball Federation. According to Scariolo, it was a surprise that Brown was willing to represent Spain. Scariolo was an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors when Brown was still with the NBA club.
However, Spain desperately needed a back man when Ricky Rubio and Carlos Alocen are injured, so the Italian pilot included Brown in the group.
Even Fernandez’s mind had changed during the European Championships. He said he was happy that Brown is involved, while some of the Spanish players had refused to play for the national team this summer.
“The game speed is at an admirable level”
Spain was the number one in the initial group played in Tbilisi, Georgia. It beat Bulgaria, Georgia, Montenegro and Turkey. Group four Belgium caused a surprise loss to Spain by ten points.
In Lehto’s opinion, Spain is a well-organized and stylish team. Croatia, who lost to Finland in the quarterfinals, fell into disharmony and hand-wringing when things didn’t go their way. This has not been seen in Spain.
– Spain’s game speed is at an admirable level. Spain is really good both in attack and defense in how things are done quickly, Lehto enthuses.
Spain has speed and skill, but if necessary, it can also switch to a big five. There is a 209-centimeter and 28-year-old center under the basket Willy Hernangomez, who represents the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA. The team also includes his nephew, who is 205 centimeters tall and 26 years old Juancho Hernangomezwho plays for the NBA’s Denver Nuggets.
Croatia relied a lot on the 1vs1 skills of their star players, and in addition, Croatia wanted to slow down the game and Finland’s fast tempo. For Spain, a fast-paced game is presumably better suited.
– Spain can modify its style of play if necessary, but is certainly closer to Finland’s style of play than Croatia.
Lehto sees that Spain’s playing is more organized than Finland’s. Finland relies more on its fast transition attacks.
– Spain has the patience to seek an even better solution if the guy has a better place to throw.
Finland has opportunities – but only with a little success
The Croatia match showed that Finland has a chance in the quarterfinals as well.
– But it again requires absolute success, you can’t get over it or around it. I don’t know if Lauri Markkanen needs to score more than 40 points again, but there were other really good performers in the Croatia game, such as Edon Maxhuni, Miro Little, Sasu Salin and Henri Kantonenreminds Lehto.
In addition, Finland played by far its best defensive game of the tournament against Croatia.
– There were actually no defensive ends falling asleep there at all. The kind of rants that make someone raise their hand in displeasure. It was seamless. In Finland’s defense, the emotional level and presence were on point all the time.
Against Spain, Finland needs success in the things that have been announced throughout the tournament. Finland needs to get performances in defense, through which it can quickly attack the open field.
– If against teams of Spain’s level you have to take the ball out of your sock every time and attack 5v5, then Finland has always been in trouble.
– Quick attacks don’t always end in quick baskets, but from them Finland can get continuations that end in baskets when the opponent’s defense is a little disorganized.
Today, Finland is challenging a real basketball powerhouse.
Spain has 13 medals at the EC level. Since 2007, it has always been with EC medals: three gold, one silver and two bronze.
Spain has two golds from the World Championships, three silvers and one bronze from the Olympics. In the history of the competition, Spain is the third most successful European country in history, after the Soviet Union/Russia and the former Yugoslavia.
Finland will meet Spain in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at 18:15. Broadcast on TV2 and Areena at 6 p.m. Urheilu follows the European Championships in this article.
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