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Both teams were shocked at the start

It is interesting that both teams played one great and one horrible halftime, but the tournament just started and today's game could turn everything for the winners

Before the game between Brazil and Lithuania we have said that playing in front of a sold out arena in the first game of the Olympic games could either lend wings to Brazil or numb them completely. We did not know it could do both. Brazil started the game 'paralyzed'. They couldn't score anything, but the bigger problem is that they could not defend anything. Lithuania made fun of them and scored 58 points by halftime which never happened before for this Brazil. It is actually more realistic for them to concede that much in an entire game. 

- We made too many mistakes in the first half. We lost the ball and conceded too easily, and the defense was non-existent - said Barbosa who was the best with 21 points. 

Raul Neto joined him in the second half, he substituted Huertas and Brazil got better once he got in. Centers Lima and Felicio also played well, and that will be important today because they will battle Gasol. 

Brazil's centers made fouls early against Lithuania and that could be a problem today because a lot of Spain's attacks go through Gasol. So Brazil's defense will be crucial, and it was their forte in the preparation period. It is not easy to defend against Spain's guards, especially after a pick with Gasol and there will be a big battle there. Clashes between the best assistants on the tournament, Huertas and Sergio Rodriguez, were classic in Real and Barca's kits, and we will see them in their national teams today. 

- We will come back in a different light against Spain, with more determination and more fight. We have to hold our heads high because nothing is lost with this defeat. Spain are strong opponents, European Champions, but the most important thing for us is to play better than in the first game - said Barbosa. 

The hosts are definitely under great pressure today, because from the big dreams of the gold medal, they are now in position to start the tournament with two defeats. As much as the fans were cheering them on in the first game, even when they were down by 30, this possibility creates pressure in the players' minds. 

Spain will also be under pressure. Even though they said before the first game that they respect Croatia, that was not evident in the second half of the game. They were shocked when Croatia started to reduce their lead and it was surprising that the most experienced and the best individuals like Llull, Rudy and Sergio Rodriguez did not manage well on the court in those moments. They left everything to Gasol and Mirotic, and Spain is not half as strong without quality performance by their guards. 

Their guards scored 3/19 three pointers, and centers Mirotic and Gasol 7/12. Very indicative. We should also say that selector Scariolo did not manage well either, but that's not the first time. He did not send in Abrines who is his best shooter right now, while he left Ruby in even though Croatia saw a chance for them in him. Calderon was sitting at the end of the bench, visibly unhappy and uninterested in the game, even though he denied that after the game:

- I am aware of my role and I am here, ready to help if needed. The team is united and even though this defeat affected us, we are able to come recover. 

Calderon did not look like he was united with the team. He was standing on the side during time-outs, he wasn't happy when his teammates scored and that is a potential problem for Spain. The second problem is the fact that coach Scariolo was rather calm after the game, regardless of the fact that his team dropped a big lead: 

- We played a bad last quarter. We conceded 25 points, lost 5 balls, gave them 5 offensive rebounds. We know that Croatia will challenge us to shoot from the backcourt, like they did against Italy and Greece, and we fell into the same trap. We have a lot to improve in automatism, confidence, concentration. In that aspect the defeat was a good thing because it will motivate  us even more. 

They won't need more motivation for today's game because they will face the hosts in a sold out arena. The atmosphere will be great, but Spain, who have a lot of 30-year-olds, won't mind:

- It is always difficult to play against the hosts of a tournament. We were in the same situation in France last year, but we adjusted to it well. We hope the defeat against Croatia will be our only one - said Felipe Reyes. 

Leandro Barbos is a 33-year-old, 190 cm tall Brazilian player. They will have a very tough game against the wounded Spain, who lost the first game to Croatia unexpectedly. Barbosa is an NBA player and has been at Brazil for a long time. But he is not as young any more and his averages drop each year. His average at the last OI was 16,2 ppg and he went over this margin 2 out of 6 times. At the last WC, his average was 11,9 ppg and has gone over this margin in 1 out of 7 games. He hit 11 points in 24 minutes against Spain. In test games for these Olympics, he hit 9, 2, 12, 5 and 10 points. The margin is set so high because of the first game when he hit the above-average 21 point. All in all, a tough game in expected (71 points for Brazil are expected), good defense against Spanish back court, margin which is too high, inconsistency, form and the role on the team are enough for me to go with the under at medium stake. Hitting over 17 against Spain would have been difficult even for a better player. If Barbosa does around his average, I think he will get some 20-25 minutes in which he won't go over this margin.