Croatia upsets Spain 72-70 as Saric blocks Gasol’s last shot

Gasol had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but Saric denied him with the game-winning block to seal the upset, Spain left to wonder if their age is catching up to them while Croatia stamp themselves as legitimate contenders.

The most exciting Olympic basketball contest thus far pitted a gritty Croatian side featuring NBAers Bojan Bogdanovic, Mario Hezonja and incoming rookie Dario Saric against an experienced but shorthanded Spanish squad.

Now that the 76ers have seen what Saric can really do when placed under pressure, they could start moving some of their big men, such as Okafor and Noel, according to Sportsrageous.

Spain’s Pau Gasol (4) shoots over Croatia’s Miro Bilan (15) during a men’s basketball game at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016.

Saric and Croatia aren’t expected to medal, but with a younger core that also includes legit National Basketball Association players in Bojan Bogdanovic and Mario Hezonja (not to mention Dragan Bender, who isn’t playing this time), the guess here is that they will be a stronger team than the Spanish in 2020.

The 76ers sure loved it, tweeting a picture of the final play on their official Twitter account.

Spain led by as much as 50-36 early in the third quarter before an 11-1 Croatian spurt closed the gap. In fact, five of the team’s offensive rebounds happened during the game’s final quarter. “But, like, effort he made, and saved the day with his last block, that shows character”. Saric averaged 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game in the tournament. “Everybody would make that block”, Saric said.

“I think Philadelphia is good for him and what they’re building right now”, Ukic said.

“I saw that the ball was not going to go to Mirotić but to Gasol so I timed my jump a bit earlier and got it”.

Croatia didn’t even earn a place in the Olympics until last month, knocking off Greece and then outlasting host Italy in overtime to win a qualifying tournament.

Barkley averaged 16.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

At the end of the game, Croatia, which entered the match as an underdog, managed to beat Spain by just two points. Gasol, now with the Spurs, held Saric largely in check until fortunes were flipped when it mattered most.

“He has no fear of anything”, Croatia coach Aleksandar Petrovic said.