USA beat Spain 82-76 to advance to the gold medal game. USA didn’t play particularly well, continuity was again lacking, but DeAndre Jordan shined defensively (16 boards and 4 blocks) and Team USA pulled out a victory. Pau Gasol was solid for Spain, but Nikola Mirotic only chipped in seven points and was plagued by foul trouble.
The pace favored Spain throughout the game. Spain forced their pace on the US by fouling after misses and playing halfcourt offense. Every team the US has faced has lost, but if Team USA wants to blowout teams (like they did Argentina), they need to force an uptempo pace.
The winner of Australia versus Serbia will play for the gold against the USA. Australia played the US earlier in the tournament, losing by 10. Australia would be the more fun, start studded match-up, but either way, we’ve got more amazing international basketball to look forward to!