Ranked second behind the United States, Spain got off to a bad start in the Olympic tournament only to come back with four straight wins and increasing cohesion on the court.
Six-times National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Tony Parker of France conceded that Spain produced great form Wednesday.
"Spain is one of the best teams of the last seven to eight years," said a wistful Parker, 34, after he played his final game for France. "They have a lot of experience and they showed it tonight."
A team bristling with NBA players, Spain will now face the United States in the semi-finals on Friday after the struggling Americans defeated Argentina 105-78 later on Wednesday.
The Americans finally found their rhythm in Olympic quarterfinal play, recovering from an early 10-point deficit to earn a semifinal game against the Spanish team.
"We are in the perfect spot to be in the semi-finals," said Spanish point guard Sergio Rodriguez, noting that "we are playing in the Olympics, we have to enjoy it".
Spain coach Sergio Scariolo said his team executed their game plan perfectly on Wednesday and he gave a lot of credit to the team's elder statesman, NBA All-Star centre Pau Gasol, for creating space for his teammates to play aggressively.
"The rest of the team loves him and accepts his leadership," Scariolo said of the 36-year-old Gasol, who will join Parker at the San Antonio Spurs for the upcoming NBA season after spending two years with the Chicago Bulls.
The top scorer for Spain with 23 points was fellow Chicago Bull Nikola Mirotic. Half of the 24 players in Wednesday's game compete in the elite NBA, seven of them from Spain and five from France.
Despite the familiarity that comes with a classic rivalry and shared time in the NBA, the fifth-ranked French were quickly outfoxed by the Spaniards.
"We suffered a lot for their aggressiveness," said French coach Vincent Collet.
Collet, who has coached the national team since 2009, said it was too early to know if he will continue at the helm.
"We must digest the defeat, it's tough for me," said Collet.
Six-times National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Tony Parker of France conceded that Spain produced great form Wednesday.
"Spain is one of the best teams of the last seven to eight years," said a wistful Parker, 34, after he played his final game for France. "They have a lot of experience and they showed it tonight."
A team bristling with NBA players, Spain will now face the United States in the semi-finals on Friday after the struggling Americans defeated Argentina 105-78 later on Wednesday.
The Americans finally found their rhythm in Olympic quarterfinal play, recovering from an early 10-point deficit to earn a semifinal game against the Spanish team.
"We are in the perfect spot to be in the semi-finals," said Spanish point guard Sergio Rodriguez, noting that "we are playing in the Olympics, we have to enjoy it".
Spain coach Sergio Scariolo said his team executed their game plan perfectly on Wednesday and he gave a lot of credit to the team's elder statesman, NBA All-Star centre Pau Gasol, for creating space for his teammates to play aggressively.
"The rest of the team loves him and accepts his leadership," Scariolo said of the 36-year-old Gasol, who will join Parker at the San Antonio Spurs for the upcoming NBA season after spending two years with the Chicago Bulls.
The top scorer for Spain with 23 points was fellow Chicago Bull Nikola Mirotic. Half of the 24 players in Wednesday's game compete in the elite NBA, seven of them from Spain and five from France.
Despite the familiarity that comes with a classic rivalry and shared time in the NBA, the fifth-ranked French were quickly outfoxed by the Spaniards.
"We suffered a lot for their aggressiveness," said French coach Vincent Collet.
Collet, who has coached the national team since 2009, said it was too early to know if he will continue at the helm.
"We must digest the defeat, it's tough for me," said Collet.
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