The Spanish won their first-ever world title with key player Pau Gasol on the bench due to injury. They beat Greece 70-47 in the final of the World Basketball Championships on Sunday in Saitama, Japan.

Gasol had to sit out yesterday after breaking his foot with a minute left in the 75-74 semifinal win over Argentina.

Many took for granted his team's gold-medal hopes against Greece who were European champions in 2005 dimmed considerably.

However Gasol's absence forced Spain into an aggressive style of play, catching Greece off guard. From the "tip off", they converged in the key double- or triple-teaming every position the Greeks could find. The efficient defense, which used to be the trademark of Greece in destroying previous rivals, helped the Spaniards control the pace throughout the match leading 18-12, 43-23, 54-34 over the first three periods.

Jorge Garbajosa and Juan Carlos Navarro had 20 points apiece for Spain. Garbajosa also grabbed 10 rebounds in the match.

Greece, who defeated the US 101-96 in the semi-finals only managed to shoot 18-out-of-55 from the field in the final. Mihalis Kakiouzis led the Greeks with 17 points and nine rebounds. The Greeks finished fourth in 1994 and 1998.

The US won the bronze medal with a 96-81 victory over Argentina on Saturday, leaving six European powerhouses altogether in the championship's top eight.

It was Europe's third straight world title -- Yugoslavia won in 1998 and 2002 -- and they'll have home advantage in 2010 with the tournament being held in Turkey.

Gasol, despite being out of the final, was named the tournament's best center of the FIFA and also picked up the MVP award thanks to his average 21.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.

Joining Gasol were his team-mate and power forward Jorge Garbajosa, who had 20 points in the final, Team USA's small forward Carmelo Anthony, Argentina guard Manu Ginobili and Greek playmaker Theo Papaloukas.

China's superstar Yao Ming, with the NBA's Houston Rockets, averaged 25.3 points (152 points in six games) to lead all players in points per game ahead of Germany's Dirk Nowitzki (23.2) and Carlos Arroyo (21.2) of Porto Rico. He also averaged 9 rebounds to stand third overall in the rebounds per game ranking.

Commenting on Yao's absence in the "best lineup", China's head coach Jonas Kaslaukas said it was due to their early exit. They lost to Greece 95-64 in the first round of the elimination games.

Yao Ming (R)

Yao is now receiving individual training in Beijing and will fly to Houston for the new NBA season after celebrating his 26-year birthday in Shanghai. "After the world championships we really need to sum up, I know the hopes and you'll see a brilliant Chinese basketball team in 2008," said the 2.26m center.

"Yao for sure is very important to the Chinese team just like Michael Jordan to the Chicago Bulls," Kaslaukas said. "But we can't put all the pressure on him because people like Jordan also got help from Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. Other players must become stronger quickly especially the shooting guards."

He added that the domestic league (CBA) was reluctant to train great players with poor physical performances in a short period of time and consequently the potential stars should be sent abroad on a "25-30 minutes on court" basis.

Among the potential stars on the national team are Sun Yue and Zhang Songtao. The two youngsters have returned to the Beijing Aoshen basketball team and will be sophomores in the American Basketball Association (ABA) in November. Aoshen joined the ABA and played in the Red Conference in Southern California last year and cruised to the second round of the playoff season on a performance of 20 wins and 14 losses.

Liu Wei, starting point guard for the national team, also caught the eye of the Australian NBL teams Perth Wildcats and the Sydney Kings.

Liu Wei

"Our team captain CJ Bruton will play in NBA this year and we need an experienced and strong player for his position. Liu is right for it," said Simon Allatson, CEO of the Kings.

China's forward/center Yi Jianlian averaged 6.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in the 16-day world championships. Regardless of ex-NBA player Wang Zhizhi replacing him on the starting line-up, Yi still finished second in rebounds for China after Yao Ming. He clinched the second place in the Best Rookie balloting and also the 12th position in the 2007 NBA draft forecast.

Chen Jianghua, 17, the youngest on the national team roster, joined the youth team and continued to polish his skills at the 19th Asian Youth Championships. He tallied 15 points yesterday in China's 138-44 triumph over China's Hong Kong.

Chen Jianghua (L)

FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann observed that China entered the last 16 but they wouldn't just rely on some lucky 3-pointers. They should improve and give a better showing at the Beijing Olympics.

According to the latest FIBA world rankings, Spain had risen from the fifth to third spot and world championship runners-up Greece went up from the eighth to sixth. China's at 11.

FIBA world rankings:

1. USA
2. Argentina
3. Spain
4. Serbia and Montenegro
5. Lithuania
6. Greece
7. Italy
8. France
9. Germany
10. Australia
11. China

(China.org.cn by Li Xiao, September 4, 2006)