RAPTOR VS. RAPTOR
DeRozan and U.S. reach World Cup final with 96-68 win over Valanciunas, Lithuania
PASSING LANE Raptor DeMar DeRozan, held scoreless in limited playing time, looks to pass around Lithuania’s Jonas Valanciunas, left, and Darjus Lavrinovic in Thursday’s World Cup semifinal in Barcelona.
BARCELONA, SPAIN— Madrid awaits. Spain doesn’t.
The gold-medal matchup seemingly everyone wanted in the basketball World Cup — maybe even some U.S. players — won’t be happening after host Spain was upset in Wednesday’s quarter-finals. The Americans held up their end, moving within a victory of repeating as world champion for the first time with a 96-68 victory over Lithuania in Thursday night semifinal.
“I think that’s one of the reasons why we came over here, was to play them,” U.S. guard Derrick Rose said. “Too bad we’re not playing them and hopefully we go out there in our next game and play hard and just know that we’re there for a reason.”
James Harden scored all of his 16 points in the lopsided third quarter of a near carbon copy of the Americans’ quarter-final victory over Slovenia, when he awoke after a scoreless first half to help turn a close game into a blowout in a split second. Raptor Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and seven rebounds for Lithuania. Toronto teammate DeMar DeRozan went scoreless in eight minutes of court time for the U.S.
A physical game nearly turned ugly when DeMarcus Cousins reacted angrily after appearing to be elbowed in the neck by Valanciunas while battling for a rebound. He wound up as if he were going to punch Valanciunas in the back of the head, drawing a technical foul.
The Americans then threw the knockout blow early in the second half, coming out of the locker room with an 18-2 run — emphasis on run, because they turned this semifinal game into a fast-break drill.
“Maybe we let them go,” Valanciunas said. “They were really good in the third quarter. They made their run, so that was good from their side.”
The Americans will face Friday’s France-Serbia winner in Sunday’s fi- nal, believing either could provide the test that was expected from Spain. “Whoever we play, France or Serbia, is going to be a great game,” Harden said. “Obviously they’re playing there for a reason. We’re not going to take anyone lightly, which we haven’t thus far, and go there and just have fun playing basketball.” They will arrive as even heavier favourites following Spain’s stunning loss to France on Wednesday. With their experience and near misses against the U.S. in the last two Olym- pic finals, the Spanish were considered the team with the best chance to beat the Americans. Some U.S. players watched the game Wednesday, while others learned the result afterward. Talk of a U.S.-Spain final had lasted as long as the tournament, and though the Americans tried to ignore it guard Stephen Curry acknowledged that was impossible. “I don’t think we’re disappointed, or wished we played a certain team,” Curry said. “We’re happy to take care of our business, which was what to set out to do which was make it to the finals, and whoever matches up against us on Sunday we’ll be ready for.”
That team will have to show it can hang with the Americans for more than a half, which nobody in Barcelona did.
This one was an eight-point game at the break before the U.S. made 14 of 19 shots in the third quarter and outscored Lithuania 33-14.
Kyrie Irving had 18 points for the Americans in a rematch of the 2010 world semifinal, also played Sept. 11.