WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CANADA 1994
Toronto and Hamilton, two cities on the shores of Lake Ontario were chosen as venues for the tournament. The excellent infrastructure, with good communications, plenty of hotel space and three stadiums fully equipped for basketball meant there was no fear of any organisational problems. There were no long distances to travel, everything was on hand, everything was modern and comfortable, just as the US public preferred it. Toronto had received the franchise for an NBA team that very year and felt obliged to put on a good show for their neighbours. Therefore the keystone of the organisation was“ what the USA wants, the USA gets”.
The format of the tournament was very similar to that held in Argentina four years beforehand. The sixteen participating teams were divided into four groups which were played on a league system. Then the top two would qualify for the next round, also in groups of four, and then the cross system was used to decide the final placing. The rest of the teams would contend for the places 9-12( third in each group) and 13-16( fourth in each group). The first two rounds were held in the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto and the Coops Coliseum in Hamilton, both stadiums of 17,000 while the semi finals and finals were transferred to the Sky Dome in Toronto, an ultramodern with a retractable roof and a capacity of 32,000.
CHINA CAUSES A SURPRISE
The first group consisted of USA, Brazil, Spain and China. There was no doubt that the USA would top the group, they had a team full of youth, talent and bad manners. Shawn Kemp, Derrick Coleman and Shaquille O ' Neal got the coach Don Nelson very worked up and he was never able to impose the slightest semblance of discipline. Obviously they won all their games but they did not captivate the public with their play.
Gaining second place marked the difference between success and failure for Brazil and Spain, noone gave China a second glance. Both teams were undergoing a profound renovation and qualifying for the next round was vital to both. After their failure in Barcelona, Spain had started a new era under Lolo Sainz. Brazil were now without Oscar, Gerson and Israel and hoped to rise again under the leadership of Enio Vecchi.
Spain seemed to have the upper hand. They had grown mentally after putting on a good performance in their defeat by the USA( 115-100) in the opening match. Brazil, on the other hand, had lost their first match to China( 97-93 after overtime) and their best chance of reaching the final round was to beat Spain and cause a three-way tie that could turn out in their favour. The Spanish team included Epi, representative of a glorious past, and Herreros, promise of a glorious future beat Brazil( 73-67) despite the lack of confidence of their guards, the lack of fight of their centres and the capacity of self-destruction of Villacampa.
The match against China should have been a mere formality, however this was not to be the case. After an excellent first half with Jofresa controlling the court and Herreros shooting with deadly accuracy, Spain ran up a 15-point advantage( 46-31). Everything seemed settled but then Lolo Sainz ' s men fell to pieces. They had no answer to the exterior shooting of the Chinese. China ' s comeback carried on remorselessly and they finally won by two points( 78-76). China would join the USA in the final round and Brazil and Spain would be left to face the merciless criticism of their press.
234 FUNDACIÓN PEDRO FERRÁNDIZ