Coach Vincent Collet's after-game remarks were right on: "We can't expect the guys to be 'up' for every game -- there will be times when they're less engaged than we'd like. But the starting five did their jobs, and we have the win.

"The bench, on the other hand, did not pull its weight. They had minutes today -- they could show what they were capable of, and give the starters some rest. They did not come through."

Once again, Tony was hitting his three -- that's probably the only real bright spot in this game. Boris and Nico did their stuff. Mike Gelabale was OK... but beyond them... not much...

But like Collet said, "It's a win..."

EDIT: Russia-Spain 77-74

BIG surprise, as the Spanish Armada went missing, replaced by a mob of erring souls. This wasn't so much a Russian win as a Spanish loss, with abysmal shooting and no defense.

And now... the next game is Spain-Brazil. ;-)))

The "winner" will go into the bracket where they are sure to meet Team USA before the final. So the bets are open:

• Spain tanks while Brazil goes for a prestige win,
• Both teams try to tank, making the worst game in Olympics history,
• Spain plays it straight. (LONG odds on this one!)

Anton Ponkrashov