His total absence of defense on the perimeter is less exposed ( it was against Italy though) cause less talent and speed in FIBA ... He's the best FIBA player for 10+ years though
Fantastic game by pau,40p While batum had choked at the line,he missed all 3 ft that could tie the game...
Pau with one of the best performances in FIBA games history (i think). Absolutely carried his team to the finals. He was tired as hell but still kept going at it. On the other side, Parker looks done.
40 & 11 from Pau. That's damn impressive. Great to see he still has a dominant performance left in him, boy did they need it.
We gave this game away in the 4th by commiting the same dumb foul several times ... The spacing was horrible with Diaw ( back to his extreme passive mode) and Gobert on the floor together ... We should have played small ball with Batum at the 4 and Gelabale ( who had the hot hand) at the SF ... I'd have finished the game with this lineup : De colo- Fournier- Gelabale - Batum - Gobert
I'm no fan of the Spanish Team in general, but the way Pau is playing right now is insane... Rooting for them to win the title now.
Pau had a monster game but you can't let him score 40 without double teamed him ONE SINGLE TIME during the whole game . SMH
Serbia, the best team in the tournament, loses against the disappointing Lithuanians. Go figure. Pau is too good for Eurobasket. Without him, Spain would not stand a chance. The truth is -- FIBA basketball suits Pau much better, but even under NBA rules he was (is) an all-star talent. They just can't stop him over there; can't out-muscle him either. He is clearly enjoying this style of basketball. His bro would also dominate. Big body, smooth outside shot. That's how it's done. Their long 2 is a 3-pt shot in Europe. Overall, one of the most impressive Eurobasket performances I've ever seen, togher with some insane performances by Gallis (Greece) and Petrovic (Croatia, then Yugoslavia).
Pau = GOAT european player. Better than Sabonis, Kukoc Radja, Dirk, Drazen (i wish he had more time to show his skills and get even better) and a few others. I had Serbia winning it all, little did i know. Pau vs. Valenciunas should be a good one.
To me, Drazen was arguably the most dominant... he was the best shooter (and scorer) for sure. I think he still holds the record for most points scored. But he died when he was in his prime. I think he was only 28. Pau is about as good as Dirk and prime Sabonis, clearly better than Radja and Divac and more dominant than Kukoc. Well, Toni's game wasn't about being dominant at any particular aspect of the game anyway. He's jack of all trades who liked to pass the ball and play PG at 6'10".
Spain looks awesome, Lithuania... not so much Edit: there's no stopping Pau... at least not in Europe
Two finals in a row and 2 blowout losses for Lithuania ... The Balts couldn't handle Spain pressure D and Spain had every look it wanted on offense . Valanciunas looked horrible ...