The hottest phase of the European basketball championship begins today, the one in which in case of victory you enter the medal zone and at least secure a place for the pre-Olympic tournament with the goal of Rio 2016. Italy presents itself at this point in the competition with all the credentials to try to get to the end.
On Wednesday at 21, the Azzurri will find themselves in front of the Lithuania that ousted us right in the quarterfinals at the last European Championships two years ago, then going on to take the silver medal, while we weren't even able to get a pass for the next World Cup.
This Lithuania is probably not at the level of that of a couple of years ago, but it is a team that can count on excellent players from the Euroleague and the NBA, with Toronto Raptors center Valanciunas playing the young lion of an intergenerational team, among the great old Jankunas and Javtokas and the maturity of the Maciulis (author of 34 points against Georgia) and the Kalnietis.
A formation certainly with more kilos and centimeters than ours (in this sense Bargnani's recovery from the discomfort in his calf that had stopped him in the match against Israel was fundamental), but this Italy has shown that it can play it and have the weapons to beat superior opponents to the Lithuanians.
Needless to go around too much, however, the continuation of the journey will depend once again on what the three Azzurri NBA, Gallinari, Belinelli and Bargnani, will combine, with Gentile (author of 27 points in the last one against Israel, a record for him with this shirt) effectively became the fourth musketeer.
Whoever wins between Italy and Lithuania will most likely have to contend with Serbia, who are against France the real candidate for the final victory and who tomorrow, two and a half hours before us, will face the Czech Republic, in a match that card should have no history. The Serbian team is full of talent, with the current mvp of this first part of the tournament, Nemanja Bjelica, as well as people like Teodosic and Bogdanovic
Meanwhile, today we start with the two matches of the upper part, the one that included perhaps the worst crosses and which at 18.30 presents the most fascinating and balanced quarter-final of all, Spain-Greece, while later there will be what should be the easy task for France against Latvia. Reigning champions, with an all-Nba quintet (Parker, Diaw, De Colo, Batum and Gobert) and replacements of the caliber of Fournier and Lauvergne, France (who also play at home) remains the team to beat.
