It was only fitting that the latest meeting in the most bitter rivalry in European basketball came down to overtime.
Powered by Pau Gasol, Spain gained the upper hand over its long-time foe on Thursday, beating Les Bleus 80-75 on their own soil in the semifinals of EuroBasket 2015 to reach Sunday’s championship game and automatically qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
It provided sweet revenge for Spain’s losses to France in each of the past two summers, including a huge upset in Spain in the semifinals of the FIBA World Cup without Tony Parker. But even with Parker back in the lineup and homecourt advantage, France was unable to avert one of the most disappointing losses in its history.