Aug 22, 2008, 15:58 GMT
Beijing - 'We made history,' 'this is a dream,' were some of the jubilant comments Spanish basketball players made Friday, after beating Lithuania 91-86 to reach the final of Beijing 2008.
Spain last reached the Olympic final 24 years ago in Los Angeles.
'This will go down in history, we cannot ever forget it,' said Spain captain Carlos Jimenez.
Coach Aito Garcia Reneses said he and his men are 'very happy' to have reached the final, while wonderboy Ricky Rubio, who is only 17, was beside himself with joy.
'It is a dream for me. Four months ago I didn't even know if I was going to make it to the Spanish national team, and now look at this,' the young point guard said.
Rubio got to play 24 minutes in the semifinals, in the face of the injury suffered by Jose Manuel Calderon.
Amid the celebrations, Garcia Reneses expressed concern for his starting point guard.
'He has a problem in one of his legs. Today doctors said he could not play. We will wait to see if he recovers for the next game,' the coach said of Calderon.
Spain meets the winners of the game between the United States and Argentina in Sunday's final.
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