By Josh Cohen Aug. 3, 2016
ORLANDO — Croatia had an impressive run at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Italy last month to earn a spot in Rio. They notched three straight victories and got some redemption against Italy after losing to the host nation in the opener. They also knocked off Tunisia and Greece along the way.
Orlando’s Mario Hezonja, Philadelphia’s Dario Saric and Brooklyn’s Bojan Bogdanovic are the leaders of this year’s squad. This will be the fourth Olympics for the Croatian national basketball team. They won the silver medal at the 1992 games in Barcelona and reached the quarterfinals in 1996 in Atlanta and 2008 in Beijing.
Here is an analysis of each opponent Croatia will be playing against in Group B. The top four countries from each group advance to the knockout round.
Sunday, Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. ET: Croatia vs. Spain
Many think Spain will capture the silver for the third straight Olympics. While Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka won’t be in Rio, Spain still has a plethora of current or former NBA talent. Pau Gasol, Ricky Rubio, Juan Carlos Navarro, Nikola Mirotic, Sergio Rodriguez, Jose Calderon and Rudy Fernandez are the team’s centerpieces and they will have NBA newcomers Alex Abrines and Willy Hernangomez. Spain won EuroBasket 2015 last September.
Tuesday, Aug. 9 at 9:30 p.m. ET: Croatia vs. Argentina
Argentina will rely heavily on its experience at this year’s competition. The core players of the team have played in multiple Olympics, including Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola, Andres Nocioni and Carlos Delfino. Argentina will also feature a familiar face to Magic fans. Patricio Garino, who played on one of the Magic’s Summer League teams last month, will make his Olympic debut.
Thursday, Aug. 11 at 1:15 p.m. ET: Croatia vs. Brazil
Host nations tend to do fairly well in international competition. While Anderson Varejao and Tiago Splitter will both not be available due to injuries, Brazil will count on other NBA players such as Leandro Barbosa, Nene, Raul Neto and Cristiano Felicio. Brazil was one of the pleasant surprises at the 2012 Olympics in Great Britain. They won four of their first five games of the competition, including a stunning victory over Spain, before losing in the quarterfinals to Argentina.
Saturday, Aug. 13 at 9:30 p.m. ET: Croatia vs. Nigeria
Nigeria learned of some tough news this week when its best player, Al-Farouq Aminu, decided to withdraw from the competition. They also will be without Aminu’s new Blazers teammate, Festus Ezeli. Nigeria will be led by former NBA player Ike Diogu, who led the team in scoring in the 2012 Olympics.
Monday, Aug. 15 at 9:30 p.m. ET: Croatia vs. Lithuania
Lithuania is competing in its seventh consecutive Olympics. They claimed three straight bronze medals from 1992-2000 and finished in fourth place in 2004 and 2008. Lithuania may be the only team in this event that can match USA’s size. Jonas Valanciunas, Robertas Javtokas and Domantas Sabonis are all 6’11 or taller and the team’s starting point guard, Mantas Kalnietis, stands at 6’5. Lithuania won the silver at EuroBasket 2015.
