The Spanish men’s basketball delegation will face the titanic United States in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Spain failed to beat Luka Doncic’s Slovenia (87-95) in the last match of the group stage and the draw has faced the Americans, the great black beast of the tournament.
The Spanish team, which holds the title of world champion, could not access the final phase as the first of the group and faces will be seen against the second classified of group A, where France ousted the United States and avoided the Spanish.
The Americans have beaten Spain in the last nine games: The last time the national team beat the United States was in September 2002 at the World Cup. Of the last 12 meetings, the United States have won 11 times. Especially painful were the two defeats in the finals of the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games.
The United States, the black beast of Spain in the Olympic Games
Spain will face the United States again in the Olympic Games. The national team has met the Americans in the last four editions: they lost in the quarterfinals in Athens 2004, in the final in Beijing 2008 and London 2012 and in the semifinals in Rio de Janeiro 2016. In the last three editions, despite the defeat, he added a medal to the Olympic record.
Forgotten the World Cup bottle, Gregg Popovich’s men face the final phase as the main candidates for the gold medal. With Damian Lillard and Kevin Durant as the most important figures in the system, players like Devin Booker, Jason Tatum and Jrue Holiday raise the competitive level of the American team.