Spain beat Germany 69-61 in the quarterfinal of the FIBA U20 European championship. Good game, strong display of how far international basketball has come. Germany kept it close with Spain throughout the game, but Spain had too much firepower.
Spain had stronger defense, offense and overall intensity. Germany was able to score the ball pretty consistently, they had great overall execution. Germany had good ball pressure, shooting, they were real solid, but Spain was that much better.
Spain had better offense, ball pressure and defensive rebounding. They got higher percentage shots and played their pace. Germany would’ve benefited from getting out into the open court more, rather than facing a set Spanish defense.
Spain was better suited to the half court style. Spain was able to play the game with the style they wanted. Occasionally they’d get out and run, but most of the time they set their offense against the set German defense. Germany had some offensive firepower, but not near as much crispness to their offense.
Remember the days when there were a few foreign players in the NBA? That’s continuing to change and the FIBA U20 European championship shows that international basketball is continuing to catch up with the US. These players are athletic, fundamentally sound and super talented. It’s a joy to watch these guys look to accomplish their dreams on the court. They also want to score for their countries; pride is a big part of these tournaments.
Germany could score against the set defense of Spain, but they couldn’t do it with ease. They had to use a lot of the shot clock and really move around to get open shots. The Germans were persistent enough to stick around, but not consistent enough to win.
Spain pulled it out 69-61. Congrats to Spain and Germany for putting on a nice display of international basketball. Now time to turn it up even more if you’re Spain!
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