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Navarro: We know what we have to do

The Spaniards got their first win against Nigeria, and the Lithuanians have no defeats, so they feel a lot less pressure now. Lithuania beat Gasol and his team twice in the qualifiers

The Spaniards took their sweet time before they won their first Olympic game here. It took them three matches to do it, and the opponent they've beaten was the weak Nigeria. They struggled even then, but that was kind of expected because the pressure was huge. That obviously pushed the Spaniards to be only down by one starting the last half. Then La Bomba Navarro came in. He wasn't playing in the first two duels, but he torpedoed Nigeria with three three-pointers, and he was the one to break the African team's resistance.

- The shot wasn't working in the first two matches, but everything was much better now. What was important is that more of us found our shots, and we need that for the rest.

Obviously, one win, especially the one against Nigeria, doesn't mean much for the Spanish ambitions, especially now when they've got fire under their feet. That's why the duel against Lithuania is going to be super important, but Navarro has faith in himself and his teammates.

- We're aware that they've beaten us twice in the qualifiers, but we know well what we have to do to do them harm.

What that would be, Navarro didn't specify, but those friendly matches really are irrelevant because Gasol was out in one match, and it was still tight. The Spaniards are still the better team, even though Navarro has only words of praise for their opponents:

- Kalnietis leads their game in a great way, and there's Kuzminskas who's in great form. With Valanciunas in the paint, they're a really dangerous and strong team.

Gasol and Valanciunas' duels will be a real treat today. The way the Lithuanian rotation deals with Reyes and Mirotić in the paint will be important. Kuzminskas played the four only part of the game so far, but that will hardly be doable here because the Spanish are physically superior in that position.

Lithuania got their third win in the tournament yesterday, confirming great form and big ambitions. The match against Argentina was complicated for multiple reasons, and it was definitely the sweetest because they got even for losing the friendly duel where the Lithuanians were crushed thanks to the referees. The Lithuanians had 22 rebounds more than the Argentinians this time, and since the number of their turnovers was cut in half (16 this time), the win was a sure thing.

- It was a tough match because beside having quality, Argentina also had support from the stands. But, my players showed character again and we managed to overcome that - the coach Kazlauskas said. 

Kalnietis should definitely be mentioned he had 17 points, seven assists, and was great in leading the Lithuanians again. Kuzminskas stood out with 23 points, making up for Valanciunas' humble contribution. Valanciunas collects the rebounds, but doesn't hit the hoop that often, and Kuzminskas had a simple explanation for that:

- All of the opponents are focused on him. They're hitting him, double-teaming him and the rest of us get a lot of space, that's why we look that good. So, even without the points, Valanciunas contributes a lot for all of us.

Knowing his quality, the points will be there. Besides, perhaps today's duel against Gasol will motivate him. That was the case in the friendly match in Malaga where Valanciunas left a better impression than Gasol. True, Gasol is just finding his place in the team and this will be his first true duel, so those friendly matches aren't that relevant.

What is relevant is that Spain didn't have Abrines when they played Nigeria, he felt knee pain. Supposedly, it's nothing serious, but he skipped Nigeria just as a precaution. Abrines practices separately yesterday, and we'll see if Scariolo will force him today.

This is definitely the most straightforwards tip in the group stage. Thanks to friendly games and the opening the odds at Spain are to wish for and we need to take advantage of that.
Spain and Lithuania played two games before the Olympics and Lithuania won both. They once won in overtime when Gasol didn't play at Spain. The other time, their shooting was amazing. The two wins are not a miracle and neither is the slow Spanish start, which resulted in two straight defeats. They got together late and Gasol wasn't there for a part of the preparation period. The pressure and missing some uncontested shots dragged them to the bottom. But their ascend starts now. All the players are bursting with confidence and experience and it this wouldn't be the first time Spain went all the way to the title after a bad start. Navarro said they know what to do against Lithuania. They proved that at Eurobasket last season to win by 17 points. Spain are faster, more talented and better-quality team. The realistic odds at them here are around 1,25. The odds that were actually set are the result of the things I talked about- This game is the final for Spain. They have everything they need to fight Lithuania. (Rubio and Llull against Kalnietisu, Gasol agaisnt Valanciunasu, Gasol, Mirotić and Reyes for rebounding, Mirotić as a missmatch at 4 because neither Jankunas nor Kuzminskas can defend him, Claver to stop Maciulisa and Kuzminskasa from grabbing rebounds...). I really don't see what could happen to prevent Spain from trashing Lithuania today.