Spain vs. Australia Olympic Basketball: Grades, Twitter Reaction and Analysis

Spain and Australia just finished what turned out to be a one-sided battle during Group B qualification play at Olympic Park Basketball Arena during the 2012 London Summer Olympics.

The final score was 82-70 in a contest that had exciting stretches but never strayed far from Spanish control.

Things were much closer for a while, as the Boomers went into the locker room trailing La Roja by just five (37-32) and could have easily fought back into it with a strong showing in the second half.

Obviously, that did not happen. Spain was able to build their lead up to 63-42 by the end of the third quarter.

The Aussies made things interesting with a late-fourth-quarter run against the Spanish “scrubs,” but ultimately came up short.

A large reason for the dominance by FIBA’s No. 2 squad was their passing. The Spaniards finished with 21 assists compared to 14 by the Boomers.

They were constantly moving the ball and looking for the open man, which resulted in plenty of easy buckets. Pau Gasol and Rudy Fernandez were major beneficiaries, finishing with 20 and 17 points, respectively.

Let’s take a look at what some fans and analysts thought of this matchup, grade the performances of the top players and look ahead to the rest of the tournament.

Tweets of the Day

This gentleman pointed out just how the Spaniards seized control of this game and did not relinquish it.

"

This Spain v Australia #basketball game was threatening to be pretty good until #Spain won the 3rd quarter 26-10 #London2012 #Olympics

— Eric Stewart (@EricStewart13) July 31, 2012"

Anyone who was watching the NBCOlympics.com live stream knows exactly why this woman was annoyed. Without announcers, all you can hear is the squeaking of sneakers and occasional roar of the crowd.

"

Trying to watch the Olympic basketball but put off by all the squeaking from the shoes! Is it always so noisy?

— kate (@dieselkeds) July 31, 2012"

Many complaints from viewers about the Olympic Games is how empty the stadiums often look for events that should be dignified by having a packed house. That hasn’t been a problem, and the turnout for this Australia vs. Spain game was excellent.

"

If there's negativity about attendance at some Olympic events, they should look at Basketball Arena. It's PACKED now, Spain v Australia

— JEFF TAYLOR (@JeffreyNTaylor) July 31, 2012"

One of the funnier things to watch on the sidelines was Spanish coach Sergio Scariolo using something often perceived as a child’s toy to diagram plays for his world-renowned squad.

"

Spain's men's basketball coach uses an etch-a-sketch playbook!instagr.am/p/NrSnsKoTk9/

— CTVOlympics.ca (@CTVOlympics) July 29, 2012"

Grades for Key Spanish Players

Pau Gasol

In just over 18 minutes played, the Los Angeles Lakers star poured in 20 points (he even added three from downtown), dished two assists, grabbed four boards and swatted away a shot. The big man committed zero fouls and managed to draw four himself.

Gasol is one of the most important players on Spain, and he certainly played like that against the Boomers.

Grade: A

Rudy Fernandez

Fernandez just caught fire from beyond the arc. The swingman—who is returning to the Spanish league after a brief tenure in the NBA—nailed four of five shots from beyond the arc on his way to 22 points, six rebounds and a steal.

The 27-year-old is the best perimeter player that the Spaniards have, and he will have to continue to dominate in this tournament.

Grade: B+

Serge Ibaka

You would expect the starting power forward on the NBA Finals runners-up to contribute more to his national team. Ibaka had just eight points, two assists, two boards and one block in 16 minutes of play off the bench.

His length and athleticism are a huge key for La Roja against the stars on Team USA, so he needs to find more floor time.

Grade: C

Marc Gasol

Pau’s brother played even bigger than he did. The Memphis Grizzlies stud chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds while managing to block a shot.

He also fouled four times and came dangerously close to having to sit for the remainder of the game. The center has to be more careful in the future to avoid that.

Grade: B+

Grades for Key Australian Players

Joe Ingles

Ingles was one of only three double-digit scorers for the Boomers. He only connected on three of his nine shots from inside the arc, but nailed two of five from deep. The 6'8" forward helped his team with three assists and five boards as well.

Unfortunately, his effort was too little, too late.

Grade: B-

Patty Mills

The NBA journeyman was ice cold from three-point land, missing all five of his attempts. That severely hurt his side, as Mills was ineffective aside from his 5-of-11 performance from the field. He grabbed just two rebounds and dished zero assists despite being a primary ball-handler.

Grade: C

Matthew Dellavedova

The St. Mary’s (Calif.) Gaels star was throwing oops and getting his teammates involved, but he wasn’t doing enough to push the Aussies past the Spaniards until late.

Dellavedova finished with five dimes and nine points.

Grade: C+

Game MVP: Pau Gasol

Both of the Gasol brothers and Rudy Fernandez are worthy of this honor, but Pau gets the edge for his versatile scoring skills and incredible impact in limited minutes. It seems that he’s only going to get better as his team relies on him more.

What’s Next?

It seems Australia is done, as only the top four teams advance in this tournament. They now have two losses under their belt, including one they could not afford against Brazil.

Spain is ramping up to play USA in the gold-medal match, but still has a tough road to go. Wins like this certainly help make that journey a bit easier.