Team USA defeats Spain in preparation for Turkeys FIBA World Championship

Team USA had to go into overdrive and count on a bit of last-minute luck to barely make it pass Spain in their warm-up match before the FIBA World Championship begins this Saturday. Kevin Durant was a key-player in this game, managing to block shots by both Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernandez in the final seconds. If you want to talk about suspense and excitement, you should have seen this international affair’s last quarter. It was as dramatic as it gets. Spain managed to lead a couple of times, and the margin was never more then two points. At the end, it was Durant who saved the day for team USA.

Jim Boehiam, the Syracuse University coach, made a last minute change in Team USA tactical scheme and went for his classic Orange System. The 2-3 zone game plan paid off as the North American team was able to clench an 86-85 victory over Spain. Changing to zone-defense instead of going one on one in the last play, really caught the Spanish offense off-guard. This quickly gave the advantage to Team USA despite the fact that it was Spain who held the last possession and had two last chances to shot. Both blocked by Kevin Durant.

The United States had to really push hard in the fourth quarter, as the team rallied after Spain which closed the 3rd quarter 13 points behind. So, yeah, if you do the math, the last quarter was very intense. Team USA had won the Olympic Final back in 2008 against Spain. And you could tell that the Spaniards were hungry for revenge.

And they were very close. Spain took the lead for the first time in the game with 90 seconds to go. Then Rubio, made a nice play in the flank and was able to serve Felipe Reyes for an easy shot to bring up the advantage of the Spaniards 82-80. Kevin Durant, who closed the match with 25 points answered quickly after and managed a three-point play after a double free throw play.

The FIBA World Championship begins Saturday

Tune in for some of the finest basketball. Sure, the NBA is in its off-season, but the Miami Heat begins to gather all the sports reporters attentions, take a moment or two and check out what the rest of the globe is doing with the great game of basketball. Turkey is going to be hosting its first FIBA World Cup, and everything is ready. The teams are already arriving at the distinct cities where they will play in the group stages. The FIBA World Championship betting lines are already up.

Team USA is a 23-point favorite over Croatia. Spain on the other hand has a 12

Paul The Octopus Picks Spain

Paul the psychic octopus has predicted that Spain will defeat the Netherlands in the World Cup final on Sunday. He also predicted a win for Germany against Uruguay in the third place match. His selection of Spain is his first for a match not involving Germany. So far Paul has a 100% record in the tournament.

Paul made his prediction for South Africa’s World Cup final live from his tank at Sea Life Aquarium in the western German city of Oberhausen, the event was broadcast around the world. He correctly predicted all of Germany’s World Cup games, including a shock defeat by Serbia in the group stages and the ousting by Spain on Wednesday.

After that defeat, there were calls in Germany for Paul to be roasted with lemon juice and olive oil or turned into a plate of paella. But his owners said on Thursday that he is safe with them. “If Paul gets it wrong tomorrow, nothing is going to happen to him, to Paul,” said Sea Life’s Tanja Munzig.

William Hill bookmaker is so impressed by Paul’s predictive powers that it was offering even odds that he will pick the winner of the final on Sunday, between Spain and Holland.