Olympic Games, Greece-Spain 77-84: The Comeback Fell Short and Qualification Became Extremely Difficult

Second game for the Greek national team in the Olympics, second loss with a similar scenario and score… After Canada (who beat us 86-79 in the opener), the blue and white team was defeated 84-77 by Spain in a match that started ideally (we led 20-12 in the 8th minute) but continued nightmarishly (35-49 at halftime)… And when we played defense and found a hero in Tolioopoulos (14 points with 4/6 three-pointers) to support the incredible Antetokounmpo (27 points and 11 rebounds), equalizing at 71-71 in the 36th minute, we made all the mistakes again, losing the game and the chance to secure qualification!

Now we wait for Canada to beat Australia to have hopes for qualification (in the last game, we will need to beat the Australians).

The match
The Greek national team played patiently in the first minutes, handling each possession excellently. Giannis Antetokounmpo was very active, making it 3-9 in the 3rd minute with a three-point play while Willy Hernangómez quickly got his second foul, giving his place to Usman Garuba. Meanwhile, Papanikolaou was making amazing defensive plays from the weak side, and Nick Calathes’ second three-pointer made it 12-20 for Greece!

Nevertheless, Santi Aldama found his rhythm with two long-range shots for Spain, who switched their defense to a zone, while Sergio Llull changed the game’s tempo with two three-pointers, the second of which touched the… roof of Pierre Mauroy, with the defenses of Tolioopoulos and Antetokounmpo being excellent. Greece was getting good options on offense but was inaccurate, with Antetokounmpo playing the entire first quarter, which ended 21-22 for Greece.

Subsequently, the Spanish defense packed the paint with two or three players whenever Antetokounmpo touched the ball, forcing the Greek Freak to pass outside. The Iberians clogged the paint to make things difficult for Giannis and allowed the Greek team to take shots, which were off the mark. Spain’s defense was great, their offensive collaborations impressive, and Jaime Pradilla scored a layup to make it 40-32.

Essentially, Spain’s second unit turned the game around for Spain, who played terrific basketball to lead 49-35 at halftime with a three-pointer from Alex Abrines. From 12-20 onwards, the partial score for the Iberians was 37-15! Notably, Sergio Scariolo’s team went into the locker room having shot 11/17 from three-point range (65%), including 7/9 in the second quarter, while Antetokounmpo didn’t take a single shot during that period!

Spain’s zone defense continued to cause problems for Greece, which was looking for a good stretch in both defense and offense to have hope. The Greek team realized it was struggling to score in “five-on-five” situations and decided to run. Greece turned things around towards the end of the third quarter, with Vassilis Toliopoulos hitting a big three-pointer to make it 62-56 at the end of the third period! The Greek team began to chip away at the lead against Spain, who had only 1/5 three-pointers in the third quarter after shooting 11/17 in the first half.

The rest belonged to Vassilis Toliopoulos! The international guard from Aris provided solutions with his long-range shots, making it 68-67 with 4/4 three-pointers! Greece turned the game around with textbook defense in the second half and Toliopoulos’ big shots, but Lorenzo Brown drew a foul in “dead time,” making it 75-71 from the free-throw line in the 37th minute.

Calathes missed a three-pointer, and in the next play, Llull scored on the fast break to give Spain a +6 (77-71), while Santi Aldama finished a close-range play to make it 79-71. Greece made one last effort with Antetokounmpo (80-77, 39th minute), who then missed an open three-pointer from the top of the key, and the Iberians prevailed 84-77.

The strong performance in the opener against Canada did not result in a win for the Greek team, which is aiming to advance to the quarterfinals.

Spain, on the other hand, is also looking for its first win after losing 92-80 to Australia in the opener.

Greece and Spain will face each other for the 47th time in their history, with the Iberians having the upper hand with 33-13 wins.

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