Spain are basketball champs

SAITAMA – A Spanish team playing without injured scoring leader Pau Gasol overpowered Greece 70-47 yesterday in the final of the World Basketball Championship, capturing the crown for the first time.

The Spaniards, never better than fourth in any prior world championship, completed an undefeated 9-0 run through round-robin games and playoffs at the 24-team event for their best global showing since a 1984 Olympic silver medal. Gasol, a 2,13-metre star centre for the National Basketball Association’s Memphis Grizzlies, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player despite missing the final after leading Spain with 21.3 points and 9.4 rebounds a game.Gasol broke his left foot in the final minutes of Spain’s semi-final triumph Friday over Argentina and a doctor’s exam Saturday showed he cracked the fifth metatarsal bone, ending hopes he would play in the title game.Teammates dedicated their efforts to Gasol and played inspired defence against a Greek line-up that had ousted the powerful US team of NBA stars in the semi-finals.Reserve Felipe Reyes started in Gasol’s place and scored all 10 of his points in the first half as the Spaniards seized a 43-23 half-time lead and European champion Greece never came closer than 16 points in the second half.Nampa-AFPGasol, a 2,13-metre star centre for the National Basketball Association’s Memphis Grizzlies, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player despite missing the final after leading Spain with 21.3 points and 9.4 rebounds a game.Gasol broke his left foot in the final minutes of Spain’s semi-final triumph Friday over Argentina and a doctor’s exam Saturday showed he cracked the fifth metatarsal bone, ending hopes he would play in the title game.Teammates dedicated their efforts to Gasol and played inspired defence against a Greek line-up that had ousted the powerful US team of NBA stars in the semi-finals.Reserve Felipe Reyes started in Gasol’s place and scored all 10 of his points in the first half as the Spaniards seized a 43-23 half-time lead and European champion Greece never came closer than 16 points in the second half.Nampa-AFP