USA's Faried on Spain elimination: 'I wanted to beat them in their own country'
Despite an easier road to winning the FIBA World Cup, Kenneth Faried is disappointed that Spain was upset by France in the quarterfinals of the tournament on Wednesday.
Most had assumed that Spain and the U.S. would ultimately meet in the tournament's final on Sunday, and each team was consistently evaluated through the lens of a potential Spain-USA showdown. Instead, the U.S. now await either France or Serbia after dispatching of Lithuania on Thursday.
Faried, who had been outspoken about perceived slights towards him, Anthony Davis and the rest of the American bigs, isn't happy about the lost opportunity.
Faried on Spain: "Everybody was being arrogant, borderline disrespectful to us, saying we wouldn’t be able to match up vs. their bigs (more)
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) September 11, 2014
Faried on Spain: "I am disappointed because I wanted to beat them in their own country."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) September 11, 2014
The bold words from Faried make it even more disappointing that we won't see the expected Spain-USA showdown, which would have been a really fun game. The gold medal game will still be worth watching, but here's hoping FIBA unveils some new rule where the host country has a Money In The Bank briefcase to challenge the eventual winner at the tournament's conclusion.