LTU/ESP – Lithuania confident and ready ahead of semi against Spain

BEIJING (Olympics) – World champions Spain thrashed Lithuania 91-66 earlier this summer in the build-up to the Beijing Games.

Expect Friday’s Olympic semi-final between the sides to be much closer.

“This will be the most difficult game for us at the Olympics,” said Lithuania veteran Sarunas Jasikevicius, who made five of six three-pointers on his way to a game-high 23 points in his team’s 94-68 quarter-final win over China.

“Spain are a very complete team in every aspect: defense, offense, outside shooting, rhythm of the game, rebounds, intimidation.

“Spain have 10 or 12 quality players that can decide a game.”

One of those is Jose Manuel Calderon, the starting guard of the Toronto Raptors.

He was Spain’s best player on their silver-medal winning side at EuroBasket 2007.

Calderon hurt an abductor muscle late in the 72-59 quarter-final win over Croatia and did not train on Thursday. He is listed as doubtful for the Lithuania game.

One of the guards who has eaten up a lot of Calderon’s minutes at this Olympics, 17-year-old Ricky Rubio, could play even more if the NBA star doesn’t recover in time.

“He’s a phenomenon, without a doubt,” Jasikevicius said.

“He’s a kid of 17 who’s already bringing lots of things to the team and I am a great admirer. It’s going to be interesting to see him grow up.”

Rubio is averaging 4.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Even more impressively is that Rubio is joint fifth in steals in the Olympics with Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul at 2.2 per game.

While Lithuania have reached five consecutive semi-finals, the Spanish haven’t been in the last four of an Olympics since 1984 when they won the silver medal at the Los Angeles Games.

Spain coach Aito Garcia Reneses expects a much tougher game against Lithuania this time.

"Lithuania has improved a lot with respect to the team we faced earlier this summer in the preparations,” Garcia Reneses said.

“Jasikevicius has improved in form and with his quality, he is incredible.

“The rest of the team is in good form, they are a physical team and have good shooters.

“Lithuania has very strong interior force."

Indeed they do.

While Spain are well aware of the danger that Jasikevicius, a former star at Barcelona, and Rimantas Kaukenas present in the backcourt, they are also wary of the all-round play of Ramunas Siskauskas – last season’s Euroleague Player of the Year at CSKA Moscow – and big men Robertas Javtokas and Ksystof Lavrinovic.

The Montepaschi Siena big man is averaging 8.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while his fellow 6ft 11in center Javtokas is pouring in 7.3 points and pulling down 5.2 rebounds.

"Spain is a very good team and we expect a tough challenge,” Javtokas said.

“In preparation, we lost to them by a lot. (But) We want to play against Spain, we are ready.

"We are a good team, we are doing exactly what the coach wants us to do."

FIBA