London 2012 Basketball: Complete Grades from Spain vs. Russia Semifinals

Spurred by an onslaught of second-half three pointers and some timely lockdown defense, the Spanish national basketball team will head to its second-consecutive Olympic gold-medal game after beating a tenacioius Russian squad 67-59 Friday.

Leading the way for Spain was power forward Pau Gasol, whose 16 points and 12 rebounds topped of the night on a run that saw Russia score just 28 points in the second half.

We know Gasol was great, but what about the rest of his Spanish teammates? And what Russia players were most vital to the second-half breakdown?

Follow along for grades from the Spain-Russia matchup.

Jose Calderon (G, Spain)

Stats: 14 points (4-for-9 shooting), two rebounds, three assists

After Spain struggled mightily to score throughout the first half, no player picked the team up more in the second half than Calderon.

His three-pointer to close out the third quarter tied the game up and sent a palpable ripple throughout the arena. The shot tied the contest up at 46, officially completing Spain's comeback from a completely broken first half.

But it was Calderon's gut-punch three-pointer with 5:14 remaining in the fourth quarter that truly broke the back of the pesky Russians. With almost all of his teammates coming up short in the offense department, there was no more vital player Friday than Calderon.

Grade: A

Alexey Shved (G, Russia)

Stats: 2 points (1-for-7 shooting), one rebound, seven assists

In two Olympic contests with Spain, Shved combined for exactly two points in 33 minutes of action.

Shved did contribute seven assists to the Russian cause Friday, but shooting 10 percent against your biggest Olympic rival isn't exactly the type of production a team wants from its second-best player.

But that's what the 23-year-old combo guard gave Russia against the world's second-ranked team, and it's a large reason we'll be seeing the Russians in the bronze-medal game rather than playing for gold.

Grade: F

Pau Gasol (F, Spain)

Stats: 16 points (5-for-10 shooting), 12 rebounds, two assists

Sure, Gasol's 16-12 line looks pretty good if you simply ignore the asinine way he played against Russia.

Seriously, can someone tell me what in the Sam Hill a seven-footer with Pau Gasol's post moves is doing taking 40% of his field goals from beyond the three-point line?

Spain won and Gasol was a large reason. But the power forward needs to stick what he's actually good at in the gold-medal game if Spain even wants a minuscule chance at beating Team USA (assuming the United States beats Lithuania).

Grade: B-minus

Andrei Kirilenko (F, Russia)

Stats: 10 points (2-for-12 shooting), eight rebounds, one assist, two steals, three blocks

Though Russia survived a terrible performance from Kirilenko in Russia's 77-74 victory over Spain in the team's preliminary round matchup, they weren't going to be able come out victorious a second time.

In two games against Spain in London, Kirilenko scored just 18 points while shooting a deplorable 4-for-20 from the field. In five games against non-Spanish opponents, the 31-year-old forward scored 20.4 points per game and had a 60.4 field goal percentage.

The cynic in me says Kirilenko simply choked against his only elite competition. The optimist says Spain focused its entire attack on stopping Russia's best player, and he couldn't handle the the depth and size of the Spanish big men.

Either way, Kirilenko didn't do enough for his team to win.

Grade: D

Marc Gasol (C, Spain)

Stats: 11 points (3-for-10 shooting), four rebounds, three assists, two blocks

Where, even in a mediocre performance, Pau Gasol dropped a double-double for Spain, his brother Marc struggled mightily on both ends of the floor.

A 30-percent rate is bad for anyone, but it's terrible when nearly every one of Gasol's shots came within the painted area.

But it was the 27-year-old's defensive lapses that were even more baffling. Guarding Sasha Kaun for most of the contest, the younger Gasol allowed the former Kansas Jayhawk to lead Russia in points, going 7-for-10 on his way to a 14-point performance.

Considering Marc is one of the more stellar interior defenders in basketball, Kaun's brilliance was a little more than confusing.

Grade: C-minus

Sausha Kaun (C, Russia)

Stats: 14 points (7-for-10 shooting), five rebounds, one assist

One Russian national team member who actually came up big when his team needed him the most was Sasha Kaun, the 27-year-old former Kansas Jayhawks center. 

Kaun didn't quite match his 18-point performance against Australia, but he was the only Russian starter who shot over 50 percent from the field.

He also held Marc Gasol to just 11 points on the defensive end and was one of the integral cogs to Russia's 11-point halftime lead.

Though Kaun has never set foot on an NBA floor, he should walk away from the London Olympics knowing he was fantastic on the biggest stage he'll ever see.

Grade: A