FIBA World Cup Final 2019: Championship Schedule, Odds and Info
A pair of basketball veterans, both of whom have played in the NBA, will be among the main focuses of the 2019 FIBA World Cup championship game between Argentina and Spain on Sunday.
Argentina has been powered by 39-year-old power forward Luis Scola, who played in the NBA from 2007-17. He may be done there, but his basketball career isn't over, as he leads the Argentines with 19.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game during their 7-0 run to the World Cup final.
On the other side, 34-year-old center Marc Gasol has been a key part of Spain's 7-0 run through the tournament. Gasol, who has played in the NBA since 2008, won the NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors only three months ago. He's only one win away from adding a gold medal to his successful year.
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With Scola and Gasol going head-to-head, the FIBA World Cup final is poised to be an exciting matchup. Here's everything you need to know heading into the contest.
Game Information
Date: Sunday, Sept. 15
Time: 8 a.m. ET
Live Stream: ESPN+
Odds (via Caesars): Argentina +3.5, Spain -3.5: -110 (wager $110 to win $100)
Team Breakdowns
Argentina
Although Scola is closer to the end of his basketball career than the beginning and the Argentines don't have any players currently on an NBA roster, this has been an impressive team throughout the tournament.
Argentina has won all but one of its seven games by at least 10 points, and it took down a pair of strong teams in Serbia and France in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. The Argentines beat France 80-66 on Friday to advance to their first FIBA World Cup final since 2002.
It's been even longer than that since Argentina won the gold medal at the tournament. In fact, the only time the Argentines have ever won the World Cup was in 1950, when they hosted the inaugural event.
Entering the championship game, Scola believes this Argentina team is on the same level as the last one to make it to this point.
"Two years ago I said something," Scola said, according to Dionysis Aravantinos of EuroHoops.net. "This team reminded me of the golden generation in 1999-2000. Many people looked at me like I was crazy. Today, I am not so crazy. We are in the same place as in 2002."
Now, this group of Argentines will try to do something that team failed to do—win gold medals.
Spain
Gasol isn't the only current NBA player on Spain's roster. It also has Ricky Rubio (Phoenix Suns), Willy Hernangomez (Charlotte Hornets) and Juancho Hernangomez (Denver Nuggets).
While Gasol is having a strong tournament, Rubio leads the team in scoring at 15.9 points per game, also tallying a team-high 6.4 assists per game.
Spain hasn't been quite as dominant as Argentina during its 7-0 run. Of Spain's seven wins, four have been by 10 or fewer points. And its last game was its closest yet.
In the semifinals, Spain defeated Australia 95-88 in double overtime in one of the best games of the tournament, with Spain prevailing after outscoring Australia 15-8 in the second overtime period.
Spain will try to win its second FIBA World Cup championship and its first since 2006. But Gasol has also pointed out the importance of setting a strong culture for the country's national team.
"It's because of the responsibility of passing along that commitment, that loyalty to the team, those values that we were taught through so many years with older players," Gasol said, according to NBA.com's John Schuhmann. "Now it's our turn to pass on that legacy to the next generation."
What better way to do that than by winning gold medals?
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