WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP JAPAN 2006
There were tears, logical after a match with such tension and such an ending. A sweet victory with
a bitter aftertaste. In a play going for the basket, Pau Gasol injured his left ankle and could not
play the last few minutes of the match Spain won despite the setback. Later, while the players
were celebrating on the court with shouts of joy, Pau was helped off the court by his brother Marc,
who had been the big surprise of the team. Pau could not walk, the medical staff called the
Spanish journalists to a check in the hospital to find out the extent of the injury. The worst news
possible became known a few hours later, Pau would not be able to play in the final, it would be
impossible for him to recover in time. Did this make the Spanish exploits even greater? Possibly.
All his team mates gathered round him and the team led by Pepu Hernandez was more united
than ever.
PAU GASOL'S INJURY AND THE TITLE FOR SPAIN
Pau Gasol was not in the final but in that team they were all Pau Gasol. The power of the Spanish
victory over Greece in the final (70-47) showed that Pau played that game too. They all wanted to
pay tribute to him with the victory that would give Spanish basketball the biggest prize in its
history. The fifth metatarsal of his left foot that had ruled Pau out of the final could not undo all
the good work of the team so admirably fashioned by Pepu Hernández. The final was good proof
of their collective sacrifice. All for one and one for all demonstated by the gesture shown by the
Spanish players when the came out onto the hardwood of the Saitama Super Arena wearing t-
shirts with the slogan, “Pau is playing too”. “I don't have to work on the team's mentality. They all
play their part, they all contributed to the final victory. The great atmosphere in this squad is
admirable”, stated Pepu hours before the final.
The plays had to be made without Pau. Greece had studied the rival, defence and attack, but
overnight the tactics of both teams had to change because the 2.15 player of the Grizzlies –he
still had not made the move to the Lakers and the NBA ring- was not playing. “The gold medal will
take away all the pain I'm feeling now”, said Gasol as he left the hospital in a wheelchair
accompanied by the Spanish team doctor, Delfín Galiano.
The boxscore of the final said that the Grizzly did not play but the points from Navarro (20), the
rebounds of Carlos Jiménez and Jorge Garbajosa (11 and 10 respectively) were also the points
and rebounds of Pau who was later named MVP of the tournament despite not playing the final
which gives an idea of his importance in the competition. The final itself did not give much to
think about, because Spain qickly took control with a run of triples: 18-12, 28-12, 31-16… They
smothered the play of “Baby Shaq”, the powerful Schortsanitis, and without him the Greek incide
play was sorely depleted. The Spanish trap on the Greek guards and forwards bore fruit in the
outside play. From there to the final 70-47 was a mere formality, After this came the historic
celebrations of a team based on the side that, seven years beforehand, hadwon the gold medal in
the Junior World Championship in Lisbon '99. While Spain took the gold, the USA beat Argentina
in the battle for the bronze (96-81). Dwayne Wayne led the victory with 32 points. “I believe in this
team and the organisation behind us”, stated Wade with the medal round his neck. “We have to
sep working together for the next two years to get to the Olympics on top form”, he predicted. Two
years later the Beijing games came around but that is a different story.
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FUNDACIÓN PEDRO FERRÁNDIZ