Tag: Panama

By Mike Monroe
mikemonroe@express-news.net

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina — Manu Ginobili’s long march through the second round of the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament here is over, and just in time.

Playing on tired legs after four games in four days, the Spurs guard had 17 points and five assists as Argentina scored a 84-58 victory over the Dominican Republic on the final day of the second phase of a tournament that is as much marathon as test of basketball skills.

Each team played four games in five days in the first round. After a single day off, the second round required four games in four days.

There are no games today, and few players are more grateful than Ginobili.

“For our team it is important,” said Ginobili. “For me it is huge. I am not used to playing back-to-back-to-back-to-back. I was exhausted and had no legs at all, as you could tell.

“I’m just glad that we were able to extend our lead (early in the fourth quarter) while I was on the bench so I didn’t have to play 35 minutes.”

Up by nine entering the fourth period, Argentina’s Carlos Delfino scored eight unanswered points in the first 1:40 of the period to give his team some breathing space.

“We are a 32-year-old average team, so we can use the day off,” said Rockets forward Luis Scola. “Saturday, for sure, everybody will be ready to go.”

Brazil’s 94-72 victory over Puerto Rico on Thursday earned top seed in the semifinals, meaning it will face the Dominicans. Argentina will play Puerto Rico. Spurs center Tiago Splitter scored 17 points in three quarters of an easy victory, and sat the fourth period.

The winners of Saturday’s games will be assured berths in the 2012 Olympics in London, regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s championship game.

Canada’s quest for an Olympic berth ended Thursday when Denver Nuggets guard Gary Forbes, playing for Panama, scored 39 points to lead his team to its only victory of the second round, 91-89.

Canada, with Spurs draftee Cory Joseph scoring four points, needed a victory and a loss by Venezuela to finish fifth in the tournament and advance to next summer’s play-in tournament.

“I just wanted to play this one loose and do what I could do get a victory for our team in this round,” said Forbes, who made eight of 13 3-point shots. “We had to take this victory back to our country.”

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina — Eric Musselman, head coach of Venezuela’s team in the FIBA Americas pre-Olympic qualifying tournament, served three seasons as an NBA coach — two with the Warriors and one with the Kings.

So when the play near the end of the first half of Tuesday’s Argentina-Venezuela game turned extremely physical, Musselman knew what to expect from Spurs star Manu Ginobili, who is leading Argentina in a competition that will qualify two teams for the 2012 Olympics in London.

“He’s just an amazing player, and the more competitive the game is, the more he seems to have an impact,” Musselman said. “He’s a competitive guy who just has a knack for making huge shots at inopportune times for the opposition.”

Musselman lamented a pair of back-to-back 3-pointers Ginobili made in the second quarter of Argentina’s 111-93 victory at Malvinas Argentinas Arena.

His team had just scored eight unanswered points to pull within six of the tournament’s only undefeated team, at 38-32, with halftime approaching.

Ginobili, more aggressive on offense than at any time in the tournament, made back-to-back 3-pointers, followed with a slick pass to Luis Scola for a shot that turned into a pair of made foul shots, and another assist to Pablo Prigioni for another 3-pointer.

Ginobili made 10 of 14 shots, including 6 of 8 from 3-point range, and finished with a game-high 26 points.

Two of the three Spurs players in the tournament will continue into the tournament semifinals, which already are set before the final two days of the second preliminary round.

Argentina and Tiago Splitter’s Brazilian team, a 90-65 victor over Panama on Tuesday, have advanced to the semifinals, along with Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

Splitter scored three points, grabbed three rebounds and had three assists in Brazil’s easy win that clinched its spot in the semifinals.