Alberto Díaz The unlikely hero of the national team
54-95 in Berlin France crushes the Polish dream
Interview Joel Parra: "The fact that people doubt us is our gasoline"
The fairy tale has no end, because each page is more amazing, more unlikely, more surprising.
The selection of the new times, which was hardly required not to fail, will fight on Sunday in Berlin to reconquer the throne of Europe.
Whatever happens against France, no one will be able to forget these heroes who silenced the Mercedes Benz Arena as Pau Gasol did in Lille in the past.
The mighty Germany succumbed to the charm of Scariolo and his troop of incredible soldiers.
A feat for all time led by Lorenzo Brown.
[Narration and statistics (83-90)]
Nothing can fear the one they left for dead, the one they despised even before they started playing.
The one who from humility challenges the illusion of an entire country, another host torn to pieces by the legendary competitive capacity of Spain.
The team of the most difficult yet, the one that reinvents itself in the middle of battle, the one that does not tremble in any of the abysses.
He was overwhelmed by the talents of Germany, by the barrage of unstoppable guys at times, by the genius of Dennis Schroeder, and they didn't give up until they saw their own defeat.
Because in a huge duel, basketball fireworks in Berlin, in a brutal give and take, Spain did not fall to the hill.
He got up with his bruises, bleeding after the partials that he fits without remission and, like a Rocky Balboa between baskets, he ended up 'killing', with a mixture of temper and self-confidence, a rival that in none of the bets would have been even at your height.
Dawn without complexes
Magnificent Spain dreams, another medal around her neck, because she fought until she had an ounce of strength left.
And this time there was no Pau Gasol as in Lille 2015. Or as in that precedent a few days before in which Schroder squandered a free kick that would have been a sentence, in Dirk Nowitzki's last game with the German shirt.
The same Dirk who now watches in astonishment from his box at the Berlin Arena, witness to the latest German successes (World bronze in 2002, continental silver in 2005, when he also fell to Spain in the semifinals), the revival of a young group, called to star future.
Although not yet.
It was already a dawn without complexes, with that mixture of competitiveness and enjoyment that was requested in the previous one.
Suffocating the first downpour was quite a merit, as the stands were on fire and Schroder did not stop punishing the slightest mistake.
Scariolo's plan went through the gall in attack, to respond to the rival offensive daring with the same coin.
And the confidence of his boys, at this point, is unleashed.
They launched and scored some of the less usual, Aróstegui, Pradilla, then Brizuela.
And with the defensive step that raised that second unit that is a torrent of energy and concentration, Spain rubbed its eyes.
He dreamed because there was a response to each rival boast, because the triples arrived, two by Rudy in his seventh Eurobasket final (equaling Navarro and Pau Gasol), because Garuba was a wall and because Germany, despite their physical superiority, was confused (23-33).
And yet, the national team's house of cards collapsed with a whiff.
In an explosive succession, led on one hoop by Schroder and Obst's 3-pointers and by Weiler-Babb on the other, Gordie Herbert's shot like a rocket into space.
thunderous 2-15
The madness was unleashed with a 14-0 in just two minutes.
Their own mistakes (Lorenzo Brown's unsportsmanlike losing a ball) and the successes of others came together and the fragility of Spain came to light in a worrying way.
Only a three-pointer from Brown himself, the calm response to Schroder, and a basket from Saiz closed the wound somewhat before the break, which was a relief.
It was about checking if that disconnection, if that stroke of the devil Schroder, was a trend or a coincidence.
Spain always left losing at halftime in the current Eurobasket qualifiers and resurfaced to survive.
Alberto Díaz, who had been charged early with fouls, changed the quintet after passing through the changing rooms and, although he was charged with the third, he gave another air to the team, which returned to the bidding with a resounding 2-15 in the that the Unicaja base finished off a tremendous two plus one and Willy hit with a triple.
Like two boxers without a guard, it was Germany's turn, now a brutal 14-0, unstoppable like a river that overflows its banks.
Spain clung to the game with all its soul, plugging leaks, in a moving exercise of resistance, seeking to reach an outcome with at least one bullet.
And he was going to achieve it, cast doubt on a splendid rival, with Lorenzo Brown doing magic and Alberto Díaz with the cape of the most unlikely of superheroes.
Juancho's first triple returned the equality (77-77) and two free throws by Garuba, a stronghold in the area against the rival giants, and another two by the youngest of the Hernangómez family culminated another return shake (13-0), now with the goal in sight.
The fact is that Germany was already a flan and this Spain of novices seemed the oldest of the elderly, as if it had disputed a thousand of these battles.
He did not miss a free throw in the outcome, where Lorenzo Brown emerged, on his way to the MVP of the tournament, to finish off the most amazing of all tasks.
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