Spain look to steady the ship

LODZ (EuroBasket 2009) - Spain have had a lot of highs over the years, with their fans accustomed to seeing the national team reach the podium at major tournaments.

Right now at the EuroBasket in Poland, though, the qualifying event for the 2010 FIBA World Championship, Los Chicos de Oro are in trouble.

A European superpower that pushed Team USA to the limit in last year's gold-medal game at the Olympics, Spain look as if they have been dining on kielbasa sausages dipped in kryptonite for the past several days.

Upset by Serbia on opening night in Warsaw and nearly beaten by minnows Great Britain one day later, Spain needed overtime to defeat Slovenia on Wednesday to finish Group C with a 2-1 record.

After two rest days in Lodz, Spain returned to the court on Saturday to face Turkey in Qualifying Round Group F but fell to a 63-60 defeat.

That left the team needing a couple of wins in their remaining games against the Lithuanians and Poles to assure themselves of a place in the last eight.

The setback also led to more pressure for Spain from their media, which seized upon comments by Marc Gasol made immediately after the loss.

Spain coach Sergio Scariolo had decided to put the ball in the hands of 21-year-old Sergio Llull and told him to penetrate and attempt a game-winning dunk. Another option would have been to get the ball to 2006 FIBA World Championship MVP Pau Gasol or national team captain Juan Carlos Navarro, players who might have scored or drawn a foul.

As it was, Llull got a chance to come up with the biggest play of his burgeoning career. The Real Madrid youngster exploded to the basket and almost got the ball to the rim but Omer Asik made a terrific block and Turkey held on for a narrow victory.

Spain felt that Llull had been fouled but video replay suggested otherwise.

"This happens when you play your last ball with a young player with not a lot of experience," Marc Gasol said to FIBAEuropetv.com. "The referees don't respect him a lot, when you have Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro - two great players on the court."

In the Spanish media, it was reported that Gasol had launched an attack on Scariolo for not getting the ball to his brother, Pau Gasol, or to Navarro.

It was put to Marc Gasol before he left the arena that he had made a controversial remark about Llull, his roommate in Poland, so he apparently went to him on the team bus and made clear what he had said, that he did not get a foul because he is a young player.

Llull later explained in a blog for El Mundo that he did not take offense to Marc Gasol's comments.

Marc Gasol, attempting to defuse the situation even further, also met with reporters back at the team's luxurious andel's Hotel Lódz for a couple of hours later that night.

Spanish Basketball Federation president Jose Luis Saez, coach Sergio Scariolo and captain Juan Carlos Navarro met with more than 40 members of the press at the team hotel the following day.

Spain need to have the media on their side, and Spanish Basketball Federation president Saez wisely organized the press conference.

"Our aim is still alive," Saez said.

"We have two hard games ahead but I have every confidence in the coaching staff and the players.

"I have no doubt about the talent of this team. Just as the victories are of the group, so do the difficult times have to be shared. We need to be positive and face the next challenge."

The next challenge is Lithuania on Monday, and to follow that is a game against EuroBasket hosts Poland and their impressive Orlando Magic center Marcin Gortat.

Jeff TAYLOR