• Selection: The time of the Hernangómez
  • Injuries.Llull and Rudy, doubts

Italy, 'expensive nemico' (the country next to Russia that Spain has faced the most times ever), spurting talent although a Pyrrhic winners in recent decades, where he wasted some of the greatest talents in its history. His last medal was silver at the 2004 Games , which was also his last Olympic presence. There follow Belinelli (33 years) and Gallinari, NBA stars, in search of redemption with the Nazionale. And the European champion Hackett, and the nationalized Jeff Brooks. And Datome, Gentile ... Scariolo knows them well, who recognized, with half a smile, that he has been studying his countrymen for some time. "You get ahead in observation and you can even transmit it unconsciously. The players asked for videos ... You can't stop it," he admitted about the lightness of the first phase, with the spotlights well set in this Rubicon. Because both knew for a long time that they play too much this Friday in Wuhan.

The Italians surpassed the Philippines (108-62) and Angola (92-61) too clearly, but they could hardly stand up in the last game of the first phase to Serbia (77-92) . They have too many thorns stuck in time, although the last two precedents against Spain fell on their side: in the European 2015 and 2013. And the overall balance favors them (40 to 23). From 2004 precisely dates the last official triumph of the national team, with the now president Garbajosa as the top scorer (17), in that tournament in which both would also later move their faces.

The group that manages the veteran Sacchetti (who inherited the reins of the bench of Ettore Messina ), is a torrent of pure class. The scorers get out of hand (he scores almost 13 triples per game so far in the tournament, the most) and the offensive quality. They lack, however, bench depth and centimeters. "It is a very atypical team, with a lot of perimeter talent, with high-level NBA or Euroleague players and a series of accompanying players who already have enough battles played on this," Scariolo analyzed his countrymen on Thursday. "Five players on the outside, changes in the blocks, shooters with a tremendous capacity like Belinelli, Gallinari or Datome. Players who have grown a lot like Hackett and other complements but high level like Gentile ... It is an equal team not very deep but at level of the first six or seven players very scary, "he continued.

Gallinari averages 20.3 points per game and he is being the nationalized Jeff Brooks , former Unicaja, his most regular player. The big point in favor for Spain will be Marc Gasol, since no Italian seems capable of shading him. Niccolo Melli (Pelicans), just landed in the NBA, resigned from the World Cup and his 'tower' is Amedeo Tessitori (2.08), a pivot who stood out last in Treviso ... in the success of the historic team to return to the Serie A. "We must know how to react to what everyone is doing with us, collapse the area, and be able to have confidence in the shots that are going to occur," concluded the Spanish coach.

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