During the remainder of the Olympic men's basketball tournament, FanHouse will give you 5 Things to watch for in each game.Perimeter Breach: Both teams are guard heavy. Even with Spain's Pau Gasol as an inside presence, both teams live and die by their guard play. Croatia doesn't shoot a lot of threes, but they shoot them well. They lead the Olympics in three point field goal percentage, shooting over 47% from the arc. Spain has struggled in that department, shooting only 30% from downtown (or, under FIBA rules, the warehouse district; not quite downtown, but near there). But the Spanish guards have a lot more to offer in terms of talent, as you probably know. Croatia's going to need to play it's best game overall, but especially against the guards, to survive and advance.
The Glass Battle: Both teams are playing terrific on the boards. Both Croatia and Spain enjoy a higher rebounding margin than any of the other teams. Spain is the best of the crew, with a +9.6 rebounding margin. Croatia's close behind at +6.6 . Even more impressive may be the fact that neither team boasts a top 5 rebounder. Gasol clocks in at number 6, and Croatia's Kresimir Loncar comes in at number 11. So both teams swarm to the ball. Whoever's limits the other team's offensive rebounding may be the one that advances.
You Don't Mess With the Zoran: Zoran Planinic (oh, come on, you would have made that joke too) is the star for the Croatian team. A former Net that flamed out and headed home, Planinic is averaging 11.8 ppg, shooting 67% from threee point land. That's some mighty fine shooting Tex ... er ... Zoran. The Spaniards counter the guard with the three-headed monster of Jose Calderon, Juan Carlos Navarro, and 17 year old sensation Ricky Rubio. It'll be interesting to see if Zoran tries to take the reins tonight/tomorrow in order to provide the extra push Croatia needs.
Parts. Sum. Greater. Etc.: The international game relies on a total team effort. Croatia's definitely down with that. They don't have the superstar scorer, they don't have the superstar defensive machine. They play together, they play fast, and they play smart. If you bombard Spain, they tend to get back on their heels a little bit (see: Greece, and the destruction by Team USA). Croatia needs to play it's best game of the tournament in order to make up for the talent differential, but they're not dependent on any one player to get there.
Ricky Rudy Rudy Ricky: Ricky Fernandez! Rudy Rubio! Wait. Strike that, switch them. Rudy Fernandez is headed to the Blazers next year and he's been wowing their fans with explosive play. His defense isn't spectacular, but Spain's been able to mask it with their scheme. Fernandez is someone you should keep an eye on, because he could see some extensive play next year, even with as loaded as the Blazers are. Conversely, Ricky Rubio is likely to be a top three draft pick next year, if he elects to enter the draft. The comparisons thrown out about this 17 year old kid are just insane. Magic Johnson. Pete Maravich. Personally, I'm not sold on his frame, even with the growth expected at 17, and I don't like the exuberance shown about him for how young and raw he is. But lots of people are 100% sold on his handle and poise. You can catch the future as he tries to get his team into the medal rounds.
