During the remainder of the Olympic men's basketball tournament, FanHouse will give you 5 Things to watch for in each game.
Whither El Calderon?: Jose Calderon was injured in Spain's last game against Croatia with a strained adducter, according to Sportsnet.ca and his status for the game against Lithuania is in doubt. Calderon's a pretty huge loss for the Spanish, as he is, you know, their most experienced point guard. While everyone can rave about Ricky Rubio's flashes of brilliance, I doubt Spain's fans feel comfortable going into a game against a very solid Lithuania team with the 17 year old at the helm. If Calderon's not 100%, or out completely, the pressure will be on Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, and Rudy Fernandez to make up the difference.
True Kleiza: Linas Kleiza continues to fly under the radar, he's just knocking down everything in his way while he does it. Kleiza's in a perfect position in international play, able to play between the 2 and 4 spots. He's got the necessary skills. But Spain's got the elder Gasol and a flurry of offensive weapons. Kleiza needs to be downright spectacular to keep up with their firepower.
The Covenant Of The Arc: Lithuania is second in three-point field-goals made, and third in three-point field-goal percentage. Spain comes in dead last in both categories. So, with a hurt/absent Calderon, Spain has to take on a team who is very good at the thing they are worst at. However, Spain is holding opponents to 38% three-point shooting. So defensively, they're sound. But Lithuania's perimeter shooting could help keep them manage runs, or mount a comeback, if necessary.
Giddyup, Gasol: Lithuania's not been great on the boards, while Spain is incredibly strong with the Gasols and their small army of wings. If Spain gets a ton of offensive rebounds, the smaller Lithuania team could get frustrated. Lithuania needs to commit to playing physical in order to get Spain to recoil a bit. I'll spare you the Pau Gasol is soft jokes but Lithuania has to put a body on him to slow him down, or he and his kid brother will eat them alive.
Haymakers: Spain has shown flashes of brilliance, but in the games where they've struggled, there's been a common theme. When you get them back on their heels, they fall apart a bit. They have a hard time finding the ropes, so to speak, and have a tendency to let you hit them with combinations and spurts. Against USA, they came out swinging, and when they got hit with their first haymaker, they cashed it in. Lithuania needs to hit them in spurts, and seize momentum when they have a chance. A steady, even-keel game is what Spain wants to get into.
