By Alfredo R. Berrios
ESPNdeportes.com
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Brazil will face Puerto Rico in the final match of the FIBA Americas Championship on Sunday while Canada and Argentina will play to determine the bronze medalist of the regional qualifier.
Brazil beat Canada 73-65 in another low-scoring game at the semifinals in the FIBA Americas Championship.
Leandro Barbosa scored 22 points while Anderson Varejao netted 16 and Marcelinho Machado added 15. Marcelo Huertas led with 8 assists.
"It was a close game in the first half; at the beginning of the fourth quarter we kept our defensive effort but Canada is always playing hard and was close to us," said Varejao.
Joel Anthony led Canada with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Andy Rautins scored 12 and Jermaine Bucknor 10.
Puerto Rico defeated Argentina 85-80 as part of the semifinal round. Carlos Arroyo led the Puerto Rican squad with 19 points and 4 assists. Luis Scola scored 31 points for Argentina. Pablo Prigioni had 10 assists.
SUNDAY'S SCHEDULE
3rd PLACE
Argentina vs. Canada, 6:30 P.M.
FINAL
Puerto Rico vs. Brazil, 9:00 P.M.
(All Times Eastern)
During his career as a head coach in the ACB Spanish basketball league and of the Moroccan, Dominican and Brazilian national teams, Moncho Monsalve was never ejected from a game.
But the veteran coach was tossed from a game for the first time in his career in Friday's match against Puerto Rico after the Brazilian team had earned five technical fouls.
The ejection came under FIBA rules which state that the coach of the team must exit the game when the team reaches the limit, the highest in tournament games.
"It's the first time I have been ejected from a game in my career and it was because of the great player that Tiago Splitter is," said Monsalve after the game.
From the bench, Splitter disputed a personal foul to Anderson Varejao during the third period which cost the team a fifth technical foul.
The statistical graphics on television and the gamecasts that appear on the FIBA Americas Web site are the responsibility of Swiss Timing, which is subcontracted by FIBA for all FIBA qualifying events.
"Everything that has to do with statistics, real-time game transmission and the graphics on television are our responsibility," said Dirk Jaeniche, data service director for the company. "This year we are in charge of the FIBA events in Asia, Oceania, Africa and the Americas and starting Monday with FIBA Europe."
The company is also in charge of the game clocks as well as the preparation of the daily game notes in the FIBA tournaments.
The possibility of Dominican players with an active role in the NBA participating in future international events remained open Friday. At least, Charlie Villanueva (Detroit Pistons) is in.
After the Dominican Republic was eliminated from the FIBA Americas championship, the power forward relayed his message via the popular social networking site Twitter. Villanueva, who leaped to fame albeit in the cybernetic world after his postings during halftime of a Milwaukee Bucks game last season, wrote in his last posting Friday that it wouldn't be the last time that the "basketball world" would hear of his parents' native country.
"I feel like we let all Dominicans throughout the world down. But no need to continue holding our heads down. This is the beginning for us," a posting on Villanueva's page said. "We'll get another shot to prove our doubters wrong. I'm not giving up on this movement. The world of basketball will hear the DR roar again."
Villanueva along with Francisco Garcia (Sacramento Kings) and Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks) were part of the Dominican team that ended its participation Friday in the FIBA Americas tournament in San Juan.
Although the Dominican Republic didn't earn an automatic bid to the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, it led most of the offensive categories in the tournament (until the end of the quarterfinal round.)
The Dominicans led in points per game (82.1), rebounds per game (41.6) and blocked shots per game (4.4). Canada, the team that shattered the Dominican hopes to qualify for the World Championship, led all teams in assists per game (17.9) followed by the Dominicans (17.7).
What team has the best defense?
Brazil. It has allowed 64 points per game but its undefeated record came to an end in Friday's 86-82 loss to Puerto Rico.
FIBA Americas will fight to have the Dominican Republic invited to the 2010 FIBA World Championship as a wild card.
FIBA Americas general secretary Alberto Garcia will present an argument that would favor one of the invited teams to come out of the Americas.
"We're going to have a series of elements. We're going to submit a supporting document along with the Dominican Basketball Federation in which NBA players will be invited and that they will field a competitive team," Garcia explained.
Garcia was referring to the presence of Villanueva, Garcia and Horford. The participation of Trevor Ariza (Houston Rockets) remains possible.
Garcia said that the supporting document to be submitted to the attention of the Secretary of FIBA, Patrick Bauman of Switzerland, should highlight the competitiveness of the team and the marketing value that NBA players will add to the event.
"The secretary will make his recommendations and the committee, most likely, will approve it," Garcia said.
As Garcia explained, the original decision increasing the number of teams was implemented when France was left out of the World Championship, leaving FIBA without a marketing element in France. France is one of the main markets among FIBA affiliates.
"This was decided, back in 2002, because important countries where basketball was played would be left out of the World Championship. That's why FIBA decided to increase the amount of countries to be invited."
Garcia didn't shy away from saying that the four invited countries (as wild cards) could all be European national teams eliminated from the EuroBasket tournament that starts Monday in Poland.
ESPNdeportes.com
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Brazil will face Puerto Rico in the final match of the FIBA Americas Championship on Sunday while Canada and Argentina will play to determine the bronze medalist of the regional qualifier.
 Carlos Arroyo and Puerto Rico had the edge on Luis Scola and Argentina. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo) |
Brazil beat Canada 73-65 in another low-scoring game at the semifinals in the FIBA Americas Championship.
Leandro Barbosa scored 22 points while Anderson Varejao netted 16 and Marcelinho Machado added 15. Marcelo Huertas led with 8 assists.
"It was a close game in the first half; at the beginning of the fourth quarter we kept our defensive effort but Canada is always playing hard and was close to us," said Varejao.
Joel Anthony led Canada with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Andy Rautins scored 12 and Jermaine Bucknor 10.
Puerto Rico defeated Argentina 85-80 as part of the semifinal round. Carlos Arroyo led the Puerto Rican squad with 19 points and 4 assists. Luis Scola scored 31 points for Argentina. Pablo Prigioni had 10 assists.
SUNDAY'S SCHEDULE
3rd PLACE
Argentina vs. Canada, 6:30 P.M.
FINAL
Puerto Rico vs. Brazil, 9:00 P.M.
(All Times Eastern)
During his career as a head coach in the ACB Spanish basketball league and of the Moroccan, Dominican and Brazilian national teams, Moncho Monsalve was never ejected from a game.
But the veteran coach was tossed from a game for the first time in his career in Friday's match against Puerto Rico after the Brazilian team had earned five technical fouls.
The ejection came under FIBA rules which state that the coach of the team must exit the game when the team reaches the limit, the highest in tournament games.
"It's the first time I have been ejected from a game in my career and it was because of the great player that Tiago Splitter is," said Monsalve after the game.
From the bench, Splitter disputed a personal foul to Anderson Varejao during the third period which cost the team a fifth technical foul.
The statistical graphics on television and the gamecasts that appear on the FIBA Americas Web site are the responsibility of Swiss Timing, which is subcontracted by FIBA for all FIBA qualifying events.
"Everything that has to do with statistics, real-time game transmission and the graphics on television are our responsibility," said Dirk Jaeniche, data service director for the company. "This year we are in charge of the FIBA events in Asia, Oceania, Africa and the Americas and starting Monday with FIBA Europe."
The company is also in charge of the game clocks as well as the preparation of the daily game notes in the FIBA tournaments.
The possibility of Dominican players with an active role in the NBA participating in future international events remained open Friday. At least, Charlie Villanueva (Detroit Pistons) is in.
After the Dominican Republic was eliminated from the FIBA Americas championship, the power forward relayed his message via the popular social networking site Twitter. Villanueva, who leaped to fame albeit in the cybernetic world after his postings during halftime of a Milwaukee Bucks game last season, wrote in his last posting Friday that it wouldn't be the last time that the "basketball world" would hear of his parents' native country.
"I feel like we let all Dominicans throughout the world down. But no need to continue holding our heads down. This is the beginning for us," a posting on Villanueva's page said. "We'll get another shot to prove our doubters wrong. I'm not giving up on this movement. The world of basketball will hear the DR roar again."
Villanueva along with Francisco Garcia (Sacramento Kings) and Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks) were part of the Dominican team that ended its participation Friday in the FIBA Americas tournament in San Juan.
Although the Dominican Republic didn't earn an automatic bid to the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, it led most of the offensive categories in the tournament (until the end of the quarterfinal round.)
The Dominicans led in points per game (82.1), rebounds per game (41.6) and blocked shots per game (4.4). Canada, the team that shattered the Dominican hopes to qualify for the World Championship, led all teams in assists per game (17.9) followed by the Dominicans (17.7).
What team has the best defense?
Brazil. It has allowed 64 points per game but its undefeated record came to an end in Friday's 86-82 loss to Puerto Rico.
FIBA Americas will fight to have the Dominican Republic invited to the 2010 FIBA World Championship as a wild card.
FIBA Americas general secretary Alberto Garcia will present an argument that would favor one of the invited teams to come out of the Americas.
"We're going to have a series of elements. We're going to submit a supporting document along with the Dominican Basketball Federation in which NBA players will be invited and that they will field a competitive team," Garcia explained.
Garcia was referring to the presence of Villanueva, Garcia and Horford. The participation of Trevor Ariza (Houston Rockets) remains possible.
Garcia said that the supporting document to be submitted to the attention of the Secretary of FIBA, Patrick Bauman of Switzerland, should highlight the competitiveness of the team and the marketing value that NBA players will add to the event.
"The secretary will make his recommendations and the committee, most likely, will approve it," Garcia said.
As Garcia explained, the original decision increasing the number of teams was implemented when France was left out of the World Championship, leaving FIBA without a marketing element in France. France is one of the main markets among FIBA affiliates.
"This was decided, back in 2002, because important countries where basketball was played would be left out of the World Championship. That's why FIBA decided to increase the amount of countries to be invited."
Garcia didn't shy away from saying that the four invited countries (as wild cards) could all be European national teams eliminated from the EuroBasket tournament that starts Monday in Poland.
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