Down most of the game, did not mean it was over for Spain. They fought back to beat a very strong and feisty French team to reach the semis. Led by Marc Gasol 14 points and Juan Carlos Navarro 12pts.
The Spanish team will fight for medals again with the best in London after winning a match stuck to France by 59-66. Work, sweat and suffering were the three reasons that led Spain to a deserved victory, which leads to the semifinals against Russia. After falling behind on the scoreboard by margins of between 5 and 7 points, Scariolo gave their final blow in a smart and decisive fourth quarter (6-15). The alternative defenses and the great match of Marc (14 points, 8 rebounds) left France almost seven minutes without scoring. 2-12 The final part was lethal and led to a defeat by Turiaf misfit and Batum, which gave an image unsportsmanlike paths at the end unfortunate.
Spain will face powerhouse team Russia in the Semifinals on Friday.
With the marks of top Spanish National teams and figures such as Rafael Nadal who just won the Wimbledon after a 44 year drought for Spanish Players and the Spanish Soccer team who also won the Euro2008 after not winning in the 40s. The national teams for Spain both women and men are hoping to follow in those footsteps in Pekin during the Olympic Summer Basketball Games!