Archx wrote:Wow i totally forgot it's the knockout stage already. Damn, didn't see this coming. I didn't expect anyone would be able to stop Jokic in European competition after another dominant NBA season.
GZ Finland, well deserved.
Serbia were big favorites without a doubt. But they lost their 2nd best player to injury, their point guard Micic looks completely washed up, and their coach is a total has been.
Plus, in general, it's really hard to win the EuroBasket championship.
Spain won 4, but the last one is an asterisk, because they don't win the last one without naturalizing Lorenzo Brown.
Lithuania won 3. One of those came playing at home, where you always get ref help, and two of them came before World War II. So post World War II they have 1.
Italy won 2.
Greece won 2, and one was at home with ref help.
No other country has won more than 1 title.
Russia, France, Germany, Slovenia, Latvia, and Hungary only have 1 each.
Germany won it when they were at home and had ref help.
Russia's only title is an asterisk, because they wouldn't have won it without naturalizing JR Holden.
Slovenia's only title is an asterisk, because they wouldn't have won it without naturalizing Anthony Randolph.
Latvia's only title came before World War II.
Hungary's only title came when they were at home, and had ref help.
But this was defenitely the best chance for Jokic, Bogdanovic, Micic, Jovic, Avramovic, Milutinov, Guduric - those Serbian players of this era to finally win a gold medal. Serbia will have to settle for all those silvers they have for now.
They certainly blew their best chance for a FIBA championship, and they probably won't have as easy an opportunity for another one again.
