If the U.S. men’s basketball team’s 77-61 exhibition win over Lithuania on Saturday in Madrid was harsh medicine, then its 86-85 win over Spain on Sunday was the welcome chaser, even if the end was as nervy as it was entertaining.
Both games should be taken for what lies beyond the score, in particular the physical pounding the Northern Europeans handed the Americans and the proof of exactly zero gap between this U.S. team and the Spaniards, who are the favorites in Turkey until proved otherwise.
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Still, the defending world champions were left consoling themselves Sunday night. One Marca.com story had the headline, “It’s still not the moment to beat the USA.”
Let Spain have that doom-and-gloom outlook. We’ll take the Americans’ focus on the details, such as Derrick Rose’s philosophy on free throws: “I’ve got to hit ’em,” Rose said. “As your legacy goes on, this is something people are going to remember me for over here if they don’t ever see me play anymore.”
