Spain is no longer what it used to be

Olympic quarterfinals definitely failed to bring us a single surprising result.There were no upsets. France and Spain put up the most closely contested game while USA, Argentina and Russia were firmly in control of their match-ups.

And I’m saying that despite that comeback Lithuania staged. Yes, there was a brief stretch where they capitalized on Russia’s complacency and they could’ve gone ahead but they failed to do it and Russia wasted no time showing they were the superior team.

One interesting thing about Lithuania (and similar statement can be made about Australia and their game versus USA) is that it never posed a threat to the opponent while having its starting five on the floor. That comeback, for example, came courtesy of Kaukenas and Kalnietis who were on target from the perimeter and, especially in the latter’s case, brought much-needed enthusiasm to the team.

To have a chance in the semifinals, Russia will need all of its players to perform well, Aleksey Shved in particular. He followed a very good start to the tournament with several subpar outings, but then again, it’s tough to play with a burden of leadership for the first time.

As for Russia’s shooting woes, I’m sure they can be attributed to the pressure of the first play-off game. It can get challenging when you put in a lot of effort into winning your group only to find yourself in a back-to-the-wall situation facing a capable opponent in the quarterfinal. Nobody’s immune to that feeling, USA included. Those are just nerves.

One thing that could’ve added to the troubles is the new arena. In “The O2” everything looks different in a different lighting and this unfamiliarity could be a factor as well, taking toll on shooters first and foremost.

Reaching the top four in London is a big improvement for Russian if we compare it to the results it showed in Beijing. At the same time, for some of the veterans it could be their last chance to play at the Olympics and that could be an extra bit of motivation.

And once again, Spain is no longer what it used to be. They now base their game on defense first and offense second. They struggle offensively, partly because of the less-than-perfect condition of Navarro and compensate it with defense, strong rebounding and mental toughness.

It’ll be a close game I think. Russia surely has a chance if they play relaxed and confident.