Reyes praises Gasol as spain prepare for Eurobasket

Spain power forward Felipe Reyes praised his partner in the Spanish basketball team, Pau Gasol on Saturday as the team prepared for Sunday's Eurobasket final against Lithuania.

Gasol, who plays for the Chicago Bulls was vital as Spain fought back from 11 points down to defeat France in overtime in Thursday's semifinal. Gasol scored an incredible 40 points to lead a thrilling Spanish fightback and has an average of 25.6 points throughout the tournament.

"I have never seen anyone like Pau in all of the games I have played," said Reyes in an interview with sports paper Diario AS.

The 2.15 meter forward, who made his debut as a 21-year-old in 2001, is now a 35-year-old veteran and Reyes highlighted his versatility.

"He can play as a power forward, and even as a shooting guard if he wants to and when he moves inside, he is an animal. He is the best player I have seen, he is the best I have played alongside and also better than anyone I have had to mark in a game, either in international games or at club level," he insisted.

Sunday sees the Spanish play Lithuania for what would be their third European title, which would serve as compensation after the Spanish failed to get past the quarter-finals in the 2014 World Championships, which they hosted, while Thursday's win also assured Spain a place in the 2016 Olympic Games, where they will try and improve on the silver medals they won in 2008 and 2012.

"All of us were extra-motivated to get to the final and to also assure our place in the Olympics, where we can go for gold. We wanted to show what we could do after last year and now we want to finish the job by winning the final," said Reyes. Endit