BEIJING: NBA champion Marc Gasol saved Spain on Friday as they battled back to beat Australia 95-88 after a second overtime period and reach the Basketball World Cup final.
They will face Argentina, who accounted for France in the other semi, in Sunday’s decider in Beijing.
A thrilling semifinal was 71-71 at the end of regulation time and the two sides could not be separated at the end of a nervy first overtime.
Finally, the 2006 world champions Spain jubilantly emerged after the Boomers appeared to run out of juice.
Sergio Llull hit two three-pointers in the second overtime for Spain to cap their comeback.
Gasol, the Toronto Raptors center, finished with 33 points, six rebounds and four assists after stepping up late in a breathtaking game when his country needed him most.
“We came back, we stuck together through tough times, that means a lot,” said the 34-year-old, a three-time NBA All-Star.
The Spaniard played a key role in the Raptors’ historic run to the NBA crown and knows that victory on Sunday will cap the perfect season.
“It’s been great, I have been very fortunate,” he said.
“I knew that it would not be easy physically (going from the NBA Finals to the World Cup) but it’s definitely worth it.
“Not because of the final but passing along those values to the team. It’s our turn to pass on the legacy to the next generation (of the Spain team).”
Ricky Rubio was also pivotal once more for Spain with 19 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds and four steals.
Red-hot Patty Mills was unfortunate to be on the losing side, leading Australia with 34 points.
The Australians, who had never gone beyond the quarter-finals in 11 previous World Cups, had the whiff of revenge in their nostrils — and a first final.
Spain edged the Boomers 89-88 in the bronze-medal match at the Rio 2016 Olympics and the Australians had waited three long years to get their own back.
In San Antonio Spurs livewire Mills they had one of the players of the World Cup and his three-pointer midway through the second quarter put Australia 27-22 in front.
The in-form guard pulled off the same trick with 88 seconds left on the clock in the second quarter to give Australia a 37-32 advantage at the break.
But Spain slashed the lead to four points going into the fourth quarter and then just two points with 3:44 left.
Spain were just one point behind with 28 seconds to run and they had the momentum. Gasol, nerves of steel, nailed two free throws to put Spain up 71-70.
Mills then made one free throw with four seconds left but missed the other and the match was level at the end of regulation time.
Despite the crushing disappointment, Australia will need to raise themselves for Sunday’s bronze-medal match and this is still their best World Cup performance.
Coach Andrej Lemanis called it “a hell of a game of basketball and fun to be involved with.”
“Tough to lose, no doubt, it comes down to a couple of plays here and there,” he said.
“At the end of the day, we had chances to win the game, we had every opportunity to win the game.”
Gasol drives battling Spain into Basketball World Cup final
Gasol drives battling Spain into Basketball World Cup final
- Gasol, the Toronto Raptors center, finished with 33 points, six rebounds and four assists after stepping up late in a breathtaking game when his country needed him most
- The Spaniard played a key role in the Raptors’ historic run to the NBA crown and knows that victory on Sunday will cap the perfect season
Dejected Inter return to Scudetto charge as Juve lick their wounds
- Inter are 10 points clear at the top of Serie A
- Juventus’ hopes of reaching next season’s Champions League could be hit hard in Rome on Sunday night
MILAN: Inter Milan return to their bid to reclaim the Serie A title with Saturday’s visit of Genoa after a humiliating exit from the Champions League at the hands of Bodo/Glimt.
A 5-2 aggregate defeat, with losses in both legs, to the Norwegian minnows has left questions not only about Cristian Chivu’s debut season in the Inter dugout but also about Italy’s place in the contemporary football landscape.
Inter are 10 points clear at the top of Serie A, but on Tuesday night the division’s best team were undone by prosaic attacking and an inexplicable individual error from Manuel Akanji which effectively ended the tie.
The aftermath has been despondent and blunt, with the Gazzetta Dello Sport’s Wednesday front page simply saying “no excuses” after a historically bad result for one of the world’s most important footballing nations.
Chivu’s backhanded compliments to Bodo/Glimt also rang hollow, as he said that their only playing four matches in the last three months, all in the Champions League, was a factor in Inter’s defeat.
“They had a lot more energy than us, but that’s the Champions League for you. Let’s move on,” said Chivu.
While Inter flopped on the European stage, they have dominated domestically this term with just two points dropped in their last 14 league matches.
And will be heavy favorites to at least keep their distance from Milan with their derby coming up next weekend.
Juventus’ hopes of reaching next season’s Champions League could be hit hard in Rome on Sunday night following their own painful elimination on Wednesday night.
Luciano Spalletti’s players came close to a stunning comeback against Galatasaray but left themselves with too much to do after a 5-2 thumping in the first leg, and a trip to Roma is another difficult test.
Juve trail fourth-placed Roma and champions Napoli — in third ahead of their match at Verona — by four points and are on a run of four defeats in their last six matches in all competitions.
“We still have a lot to play for in the coming months, but you can see that the team is there,” said Juve icon Giorgio Chiellini, now a club official.
“We’ve had some slips and obstacles but we’re growing.”
Lurking a point behind Juve are Como and Atalanta, with the latter at Sassuolo still basking in the glow of a stunning comeback against Borussia Dortumund and a place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Player to watch: Gleison Bremer
The Brazilian is by far Juve’s best defender and their collapse in Istanbul last week came soon after he had to be substituted with a thigh injury in the first half.
His return from a mercifully short lay-off will be key for Juve’s chances at Roma who have the division’s second-best home record and are gaining momentum under Gian Piero Gasperini.
Juve showed on Wednesday that they are a goal threat but Bremer will need to plug a leaky defense at the Stadio Olimpico.
Key stats
10 — Inter’s points lead at the top of the division
40 — the number of points Inter have collected in their last 14 matches
Fixtures (times GMT)
Friday
Parma v Cagliari (1945)
Saturday
Como v Lecce (1400), Verona v Napoli (1700), Inter Milan v Genoa (1945)
Sunday
Cremonese v AC Milan (1130), Sassuolo v Atalanta (1400), Torino v Lazio (1700), Roma v Juventus (1945)
Monday
Pisa v Bologna (1730), Udinese v Fiorentina (1945)
