OLYM - Reyes making exit with a medal

LONDON (Olympics) - Felipe Reyes is playing in his last Olympics with Spain and making sure it’s a special occasion.

The veteran forward came off the bench on Friday and helped the Spaniards beat Russia in their Semi-Final, 67-59.

For the second time in a row, Reyes and Spain will play in an Olympic Final.

"It's a great feeling,” he said.

“I'm delighted to be back playing in the Final of the Olympics again.

“We’ll celebrate it and then think about the Final tomorrow.”

Reyes and Spain will take on the winner of the second Semi-Final between Argentina and the United States.

The USA beat Spain, 118-107 in the gold-medal game four years ago.

He spoke to FIBA.com.

FIBA: Spain lost a couple of games in the Preliminary Round and also struggled in the first half against Russia, Felipe. You trailed by 13 points and the prospects didn’t look good. How did you keep it together?
Felipe Reyes: One must have confidence in this team. When things go bad, people criticize the group and when things go well, they get behind the team. Those who know this group know what we are capable of. We can have a bad first half and then react perfectly well and win a complicated game.

FIBA: When you went to locker room at half-time, what was said?
Felipe Reyes: We said at half-time we had to be confident in our game, that the shots that had not gone in would go in. That we should keep taking the shots and play hard defense.
The shots eventually went in, we were able to be efficient from behind the arc. On defense, we played more united than ever.

FIBA: Can you talk about the importance of having so many veterans at this stage of the competition?
Reyes: Experience is crucial when it comes to playing these type of games, very close games. When you have played games like this one, in the end there are certain details
that turn a game one way or the other.

FIBA: Now the pressure is off for a while, but very soon you’ll be back on the floor.
Felipe Reyes: I think it's going to be a great final because both teams (Argentina or USA) are of a very high level.

FIBA: Talk about this experience on a personal level.
Felipe Reyes: For me it was important to end this tournament well and to get a medal because this will be my last tournament with Spain. I have accomplished the aim that I had before the tournament, which was to get a medal, and now I hope we can battle for gold. The aim now is to go for gold, we will fight for it.

FIBA: Did you ever imagine that Spanish basketball could scale the heights as it has, winning the 2006 world title and 2009 and 2011 European Championships?
Reyes: It just so happened that from the generation born in 1980 and ’81, a lot of players came out that have given a lot to basketball. It's going to be very difficult to have a generation like this one. I am very proud to have been a part of this generation and to have achieved the success that we have since we were young. But also I consider myself lucky to have been born in that year because had it been a different year and you don't have as many team-mates that allow you to win tournaments.

FIBA: It really started for you, Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro in 1999 at the World Junior Championship for Men, when you beat the United States in the title game.
Reyes: "I could never have imagined having won the gold medal at the youth championship that I would achieve as much as I have. When you are young, you are happy but you know that you have a lot to learn, to improve on with respect to the level you are at and the level you will face in the future. It's clear that all of us that are here have worked extremely hard during these years and thanks to that work and to that consistency, we have arrived here.

FIBA: How would you sum up this great run for Spanish basketball?
Reyes: "The key of this group has been the unity and that helps a lot when winning tournaments and medals. We are friends above all. We know each other from a long time and we work together."

FIBA