Goodbye 2012, here we come 2013!

BUENOS AIRES (Martín Seldes’ Brave New World) – Before we even start talking about a year in which the Olympic Games took place, we must know that the most important things in 2012 have to come out from London.

However, we will start mentioning some teams that didn’t take part in that tournament.

First of all, the three teams that played in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament were really close to making it and all of them would have had chances to advance to the Olympic Quarter-Finals.

Venezuela saw how Nigeria beat Lithuania 86-80 in that OQT and couldn’t even fight for a position against Greece. The Africans did it and made it to London. However, the most important thing for Venezuela was that hosting a successful tournament allowed them to apply for next year’s FIBA Americas.

They will host our most important tournament in 2013 because they can organise it and also because they have a great team based on Greivis Vásquez’s best year of his career. In New Orleans he consolidated himself as a starter and as one of the best point guards in the NBA, with an amazing average of assists.

The Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico will have mixed feelings after 2012. The two had chances to qualify to the Games with competitive teams but, once again, they came out with tough defeats that made them think immediately in 2013.

Carlos Arroyo decided to leave the NBA last year and had his reward as he won a championship in the Turkish league.

JJ Barea decided to stay in the NBA but injuries and a large amount of point guards in Minnesota stopped him from having such a great season as he had when he won the NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.

What can we say about Al Horford? After a bad injury in the first part of the year, his effort took him to the OQT and a great beginning of the present season with the Atlanta Hawks.

A special mention to Jamaica. An unexpected team became one of the best at Centrobasket and earned a spot to FIBA Americas 2013. NBAers, good inside players and a balanced team were the keys.

But let's go back to Argentina and Brazil.

The two reached the Quarter-Finals in London and bad luck – and a last minute loss by Spain – wanted them to face each other in that tough game.

Once again Argentina's top players – as it happened in 2010 and 2011 – were calmer than Brazilians. Besides having less height, less quality inside players and probably less depth, Manu, Scola and Co. did it again to reach the Semi-Finals for the third time in a row in the Olympic Games.

Gold, Bronze and a fourth place sound better than good for a small federation like Argentina.

Ginobili was fit when he had to in 2012 and had a very good year. Conference Finals in the NBA and the Semi-Finals at the Olympics can't be ignored.

Brazil might have felt that they lost a big chance. And they did. But they must also know that if they stick together and all the big players are there again, it will definitively become one of the big teams in the world.

Anderson Varejao is now having his best season in the NBA.

2012 is gone but Venezuela 2013 is around the corner.

Martín Seldes

FIBA

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