FIBA WORLD CUP 2019 | SPAIN are new WORLD CHAMPIONS

[LuDux1]

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[a-French-Fan]

France has the best defense in this tournament, that could get them very far. If the had Heurtel and Moerman, they would be scary.

Heurtel's injury was à Bad thing for team in a first time, but now I think Albicy and Ntilikina are very more usefull to the team than him. With Heurtel, De Colo and Fournier the matter us that there is only one ball ... Now, nobody outside France, Andorra and Spain knew about Albicy which is really à top Defender. Even better than Frank, but it was so hard for PGs to take à seat during Parker Era ...
So with rookie PGs (at this level of compétition) able to défend on top PGs (Hi D. Schroeder ), Fournier and De Colo free to create, Batum who understood that Boris Diaw's role fit on him better than Parker,s role ... This team may win the World cup, with two conditions :
Playing from first to thé last minute
Avoiding foul troubles for Albicy and Ntilikina

[Ill News]

It's a shame that Giannis coincided with the worst shooting Greek team in ages. Imagine him with guys like Spanoulis, Zisis, Fotsis etc.

True, but Giannis not even looking to shoot outside the paint is inexcusable at this point, especially for someone with an MVP award... Also needs a back to the basket game man... his buddy Middleton is better at posting players than him.

Agree with this. Having a strong midrange would do wonders for him. There were lots of times in this game when he was dribbling around in the perimeter, making as if to drive into the paint, then settling for an off-rhythm jumpshot when he couldn't find an opening. He even had trouble posting up Smart.

[Dtown84]

Greece needs to defeat the Czechs by 12, which is highly unlikely according to their respective performance so far

Isn't it 16?

3rd tiebreaker goes by point differential and Czech have 340/311 (+29) while Greece has 319/305 (+14). It can't even be by 15 points, because if the point differential is the same, then 4th tiebreaker is the team that scored most points, so it has to be by 16 or more points.

If the US beats Brazil, and Greece beat the Czech Republic then it's a three way tie between Brazil, Czech Republic and Greece. The tie breaker there is a PD between the three teams with the USA results excluded.

Right now
Brazil is -21
Czech is +22
Greece is -1

So if Greece wins by 12 it is Greece +11 and Czech Republic +10

[KG Leonard]

It's a shame that Giannis coincided with the worst shooting Greek team in ages. Imagine him with guys like Spanoulis, Zisis, Fotsis etc.

True, but Giannis not even looking to shoot outside the paint is inexcusable at this point, especially for someone with an MVP award... Also needs a back to the basket game man... his buddy Middleton is better at posting players than him.

Which is exactly why i was cringing bad when the Swedish commentators thought MVP RS meant such a limited player is the best in the world when i saw the game live over here. I dont care about how fast,tall you are if you can barely shoot,have no post game and you are light years from playmaking of Lebron,Harden type players...

Its insulting to great offensive players and real two way players, top 5 players.

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[M1nd]

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[Rappid]

Can't believe what I just saw In the LT vs FR game.. **** the ref's and **** FIBA..

[SlowPaced]

It's a shame that Giannis coincided with the worst shooting Greek team in ages. Imagine him with guys like Spanoulis, Zisis, Fotsis etc.

True, but Giannis not even looking to shoot outside the paint is inexcusable at this point, especially for someone with an MVP award... Also needs a back to the basket game man... his buddy Middleton is better at posting players than him.

Giannis took plenty of shots from outside the paint today, though. I think it'd be silly to put this loss on him, he was the only one who showed up.

[Mirotic12]

Serbia vs Slovenia isn't even decided yet (at full strength)

It's very well decided. Slovenia is miles from the level of Serbia.

Bogdanovic shot 1/8 today for 5 pts. He's not playing better than several other players in the tournament, and isn't even the best player on his team. Kemba Walker, Joe Ingles, Patty Mills, and Giannis Antetokuompo are all more likely MVP candidates. Serbia also hasn't played anyone of consequence so far. Bogdanovic comes off the bench for the Kings, who often start Barnes at the 3.

USA is a work in progress, still experimenting with lineups and playing styles. They'll get better each game from here. Sorry if I'm not intimidated by players like Bogdanovic, Bjelica, and Boban (who I liked in John Wick 3, btw). These guys are considered role players in the NBA.

Giannis has been outright awful for half of the tournament. He was the main reason for both of Greece's losses. He would need to have an incredible finish to the tournament to have any chance at being the MVP.

This is the White that just got signed to a 2 way contract with the Houston Rockets that is a scrub?

The kid is 21 years old. The Euroleague is notorious for having young kids sitting on the bench and not getting time... because coaches are frightened that they are going to get sacked every 2nd day so only play experienced guys.

To say he is a scrub because he has played a total of only 2 games in his career for a total of 2 minutes is borderline hilarious

I think it's fair enough to say that if he is talented enough to make an NBA roster he can probably play Euroleague.

The bold part is not at all in way true. It's completely the opposite. EuroLeague will let a 15 year old play, if they are good enough.

White was a below average player in Germany's 2nd Division. It's embarrassing for Australian basketball if he was considered one of their best prospects / talents. Extremely embarrassing.

[limbo]

Bro, pipe down, we spanked you in the Eurobasket Final with Doncic injuring himself mid game and Dragic having to sit out for the 4th quarter due to cramps. Should build a statue of Klemen 'Prle' Prepelic in the center of Belgrade.

[Mirotic12]

Bro, pipe down, we spanked you in the Eurobasket Final with Doncic injuring himself mid game and Dragic having to sit out for the 4th quarter due to cramps. Should build a statue of Klemen 'Prle' Prepelic in the center of Belgrade.

Dragic is retired. Randolph quit the team also. Even their coach quit. Other than Doncic, Slovenia's best players are EuroCup / FIBA Champions League level players.

They are nowhere near to the best European teams.

[Sgt Major]

Kudos to Lithuanian coach for speaking the truth.

[limbo]

Sorry, i can't see what you just wrote because this gold medal shines too brightly, it's messing with my eyes.

No, but on a serious note. We're garbage right now, granted, but i kinda hope our younger generation can pull through with some quality players. We finished 3rd in the U18 Euro championships in July this year (Serbia was 10th.. aahahaha, TENTH!), we got guys like Dan Duscak and Ziga Samar who are following Luka's footsteps by going abroad and playing for Real Madrid youth setup. We'll see. Also, Doncic isn't even in his final form, make no mistake. The dude is 20 years old and already one of the best players from Europe. Can't wait to see how he develops.

So yeah, don't let your guard down mate. We'll be back, for sure, and then you're getting slapped again.

[Mirotic12]

The second round of one of the least talented WCs in the last 30 years hasn't even finished, and people (rather young, I guess) here are arguing whether Serbia is better than a team that dominated Europe for over a decade, and that was as close as possible to the second best team ever assembled in basketball history.

SMH.

Least talented? Thats quite a statement, most teams are at or near full strength, doesnt happen very often.

This is another untrue US sports media talking point. US sports media always claims that, and most of the time (almost always actually) it is not true.

Many of these teams are missing numerous important players. It is definitely not a tournament with most teams being at full strength. It's in fact a watered down tournament overall, just like the recent EuroBaskets were.

[ArtMorte]

Didn't watch the whole game France v Lithuania, but it was incredible how they didn't whistle that rim-touching thing on that free-throw. I actually said aloud "what" when I saw the game allowed to continue and I'm the kind of cynical man who says aloud "what" rarely.

[limbo]

Really?

The only teams at this tournament that aren't at full strength are mostly non-European teams like Dominican Republicm (adding Towns and Horford would make their already successful campaign even better), Australia (could do with Simmons and Exum), Canada (playing their B team) and of course the US playing their E team.

As far as European teams go they're pretty much topped off.

France has all of their best players. Ditto Greece. Ditto Turkey. Ditto Lithuania. Ditto Italy. Ditto Germany. Ditto Russia. Ditto Poland. Ditto Argentina and Brazil. Spain? What you see is pretty much it. Who else is there? Abrines, Mirotic, Ibaka? Ok, maybe. Vesely would be nice for the Czech, i'll give you that, but the Czech aren't really contenders either way.

You aren't seriously thinking because Serbia is missing two role players this event is suddenly watered down are you? The European teams really can't file complaints for 'missing players' at this event. Not by a long shot. In fact, this is the opportunity of a lifetime for them to win the gold medal.

[PZiv]

Sorry, i can't see what you just wrote because this gold medal shines too brightly, it's messing with my eyes.

No, but on a serious note. We're garbage right now, granted, but i kinda hope our younger generation can pull through with some quality players. We finished 3rd in the U18 Euro championships in July this year (Serbia was 10th.. aahahaha, TENTH!), we got guys like Dan Duscak and Ziga Samar who are following Luka's footsteps by going abroad and playing for Real Madrid youth setup. We'll see. Also, Doncic isn't even in his final form, make no mistake. The dude is 20 years old and already one of the best players from Europe. Can't wait to see how he develops.

So yeah, don't let your guard down mate. We'll be back, for sure, and then you're getting slapped again.

Leave it to Slovenians and Croats to hype their u18 prospects only to see them bust 2 times out of 3 (at best). That gold won’t differ much from German one in 1993. It will stay there, but unlikely to repeat.

[Mirotic12]

Giannis will get slack, but the rest of the Greek team is just bottocks...

Calathes 0/2, 1 ast in 13 min
Printezis 1/5, -7
Sloukas 2/6 -12
Papapetrou 3/9
Bourousis 0/4

No team can play in rhythm, especially in shooting, if one guy is playing one to 4 or one to 5 all the time, driving recklessly into the lane, hoping for bail out calls from the refs, and then if they don't come, just chucking the ball out to the perimeter and expecting players to consistently knock down long distance shots with no movement or no pace or rhythm.

That's never worked at any high level of basketball. Giannis' play style in half court offense against any good defense is atrocious to watch - the ugliest basket style there is. Serbia wouldn't win with him playing like that, USA wouldn't win with him playing like that, we saw how good the Bucks looked trying to do so against the Raptors, once they cut off his free drives to the basket, and the refs stopped giving him all those bail out calls.

Giannis' offensive game in the half court is very limited, and no team is going to be successful if they let him try to hero ball in half court against a good defensive team. He's playing one of the lowest IQ and least skilled styles of basketball there is.

Quite frankly, it would not have even worked against New Zealand, if not for the refs giving him bail out calls every time he recklessly piled into the defenders and the refs bailed him out with touch fouls that he initiated every time. We see that same thing in the NBA regular season...in the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs.

We saw the refs stop giving him those cheap bail out calls in the eastern conference finals, and in games at the world cup against Brazil and USA - the result? He's almost useless as a scorer in the half court against a set defense, yet he keeps trying to drive mindlessly into the lane against the defense over and over and over, or just taking an awful looking jump shot that is going to be a brick, and then lead to a long rebound and maybe a fast break for the other team, since his shots are so awful that they have long bounces off the rim.

Greece had him on the bench against USA because they needed to have a chance at the point differential against Czech Republic. They only made it manageable by benching him, so that ISO hero ball by a player without a jump shot and with a too poor handle to get by defenders could stop. He went to the bench, they moved the ball, ran offense, and made the point differential manageable.

Greece's first elimination game was against New Zealand and the refs gave him a bunch of bail out calls and touch fouls that he initiated, which isn't how the rules work in FIBA. They didn't give him that against USA, which was obvious they would not, because US team, US federation, and US sports media would have went nuts if they did.

Let's see if the refs suddenly give him all those cheap calls against Czech Republic. The difference is in that game, a lot more people will be paying attention and watching than were in the New Zealand game. Regardless of what the refs do, Giannis being able to play good or not in FIBA is based on whether or not the refs help him or not. Greece's coach can't build a team or an offense around will the refs bail Giannis out in this game or not bail him out in this game.

[limbo]

I heard Doncic was all hype too. Funny how that turned out.

Call me back when another country of 2 mil people wins a major international event of Top 3 most popular sport in the World. I'll wait

Man are lucky we don't concentrate our athletes into single sports (like Lithuania where basketball is life) and have this Alps situation going on, where a lot of talented athletes decide to pursue winter sports and obscure stuff like rifle shooting, motocross and bocce, otherwise it would be peak for man. Most of the country plays football/soccer, lol.

[rale93lfc]

Bro, pipe down, we spanked you in the Eurobasket Final with Doncic injuring himself mid game and Dragic having to sit out for the 4th quarter due to cramps. Should build a statue of Klemen 'Prle' Prepelic in the center of Belgrade.

Lol, we played without Jokic, Teodosic and with injured Jovic who played few min. You had great coach. (Serbian).

Now with Dragic retired, and with Jokic and even more improved Bogdan, your not gonna beat us for at least next 100 years. Unless you give passport to more USA players.