In the double duel between two worlds, Europe hit North America twice. Serbia defeated Canada (95-86) in the first semifinal match of the Basketball World Cup and then the undefeated Germany gave the big shock by defeating the United States in a spectacular match by 111-113. Germany and Serbia will play this Sunday for gold (2:40 p.m., Spanish peninsular time), and the United States and Canada will meet for bronze (10:30 a.m.).
From power to power, the United States and Germany signed an exciting meeting, full of rhythm, speed and success. Schröder’s baton and Franz Wagner’s wrist gave the German team the first lead (15-25) with a great performance from the triple. The United States responded with that game of NBA heritage athletes and the match became a street runner, a delightful spectacle for the spectator but a headache for the coaches due to the defensive concessions. The first quarter closed with 31-33 for Germany and halftime came with 60-59, scoreboards overflowing with points.
Germany continued with full throttle, a whirlwind that demanded the best version of the United States. However, the team led by Steve Kerr was weak, conceding 35 points in the third quarter, barely supported by the flashes of its stars against a very solid opponent. Defense, that luck that decides championships, made the difference: 84-94 for Germany before the last break. The difference stretched to 12 points at the start of the decisive quarter. The empire was on the ropes and when it tried to grit its teeth, the boys dressed in red had already exceeded 100 points (92-102). Schröder then took command of the operations to hold off his team when they conceded a 9-0 run. The German point guard was competing with Anthony Edwards and the match entered the final moments on the wire: 107-108 at 1m 35s. A triple by Obst, a block by Bonga and another basket by Schröder symbolized Germany’s solidarity triumph and left the United States without the redemption of becoming world champions again.
Canada gave way in the penultimate step, against Serbia, after two matches of maximum tension against Spain, against which they came back 12 points in the last quarter to overcome the second phase, and against Slovenia in the quarterfinals, with a suffocating defense against Luka Doncic . The Dallas Mavericks star (on October 10 they will play against Real Madrid at the Wizink as part of the NBA preseason) ended up unhinged and expelled after two technical fouls in the final stretch, and with an accusing finger towards the referees for the supposed harshness of its defenders. Perhaps influenced by this controversy, the referees pointed out 17 fouls against Canada alone in the first half of the semifinals against Serbia (25 at the end of the match, compared to 22 for the Serbian team).
The team coached by veteran Svetislav Pesic (74 years old) highlighted the brilliant performance of Bogdan Bogdanovic (23 points, 8 of 12 shooting, four rebounds, three assists and three steals), guard of the Atlanta Hawks, to crown a performance very coral and stand in the final. Without its great star, Nikola Jokic, on rest after winning the NBA ring with the Denver Nuggets, and also without Micic, Kalinic and other illustrious players, Serbia has proven to be a steel group. In the first semifinal in Manila, they led from the start (23-15 after the first quarter and 52-39 at halftime) and resisted Canada’s comeback attempt, this time with 15 points and nine assists from their leader, Shai Gilgeous. Alexander. “With all due respect to Serbia, the defeat is our fault. With 86 points you can win many games in FIBA, but you need to defend and today we have not defended anyone,” lamented Jordi Fernández.
After 43 years on the bench, Pesic is opting to win his second World Cup after the one he won with Yugoslavia in 2002 in Indianapolis in the final against Argentina, with Dejan Bodiroga in charge. On the opposite bench, Jordi Fernández, 40 years old and first assistant coach of the Sacramento Kings, is bidding for bronze after just three months in office. In any case, it is already Canada’s best result in a World Cup in its entire history. Incidentally, he has already secured a direct ticket for the Games, just like the United States, Germany and Serbia. Nor is it a minor prize given the complexity of a pre-Olympic tournament that will be played by 24 teams from July 2 to 7, including Spain, and that only distributes four places for Paris 2024.
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