Brett Brown says Spain has a “legitimate” chance at beating Team USA

Australian head coach Brett Brown, who is a valued member of the San Antonio Spurs coaching staff, believes Spain has a “legitimate” chance to knock off top-ranked Team USA. Brown witnessed the efficacy of the Spanish program today in the Boomers’ 82-70 loss, their second consecutive loss in Pool B.

“When you take a step back and you look at the depth of their     workforce, their rich history and age of their players, I think they have     a legitimate chance to knock off the United States,” Brown said.

Brown said Spain’s length — their frontcourt trio of Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol and Serge Ibaka totaled 40 points and 13 rebounds in their victory today — poses a difficult challenge for any team.

“What makes them particularly dangerous is their length,” Brown     said. “They forced us to rush our shots and try to play more physical     than is usual.

It’s very difficult to succeed in putting the baskets when you have to face two guys over seven feet and you     have one of the best blockers in the entire NBA. Very hard, but this is precisely the challenge.”

While everything Brown said is inherently true, I don’t necessarily think that Spain’s size covers for the obvious talent disparity in a hypothetical matchup against Team USA. Their big men are multi-faceted players, which helps a bit, but I’m afraid they might not have enough athleticism or perimeter threats outside of Rudy Fernandez that will be able to hang with the Americans’ daunting pressure defense.

So what do you think Spurs fans? Do you think Spain has a legitimate chance of knocking the United States off?