“Basketball is a sport in which the game is played 5 against 5, and Germany always wins.”. No, the phrase once used in football to describe its dominance does not apply to basketball. To date, Bayern became world champions for the first time in their history with an 83:77 win in the World Cup final against Serbia.
Historically, Germany was known not for its successes with the Orange but for its programs to develop young talent, the strengthening of its internal competition (today it is among the top 3 in Europe), its historic discipline, and the emergence of a group that has commitment, determination, and talent combined to get to the top of the world.
If we look back in history, the first time was in 1993, when they won the European Championship at home after beating Greece in the semi-finals and Russia in the grand final by a large margin. Then he couldn’t hold out any longer until a certain Dirk Nowitzki showed up. As the NBA star rose to the world level, he finished fourth at the European level (2001) and second (2005) and added a third-place finish at the 2002 World Cup. If it hadn’t been for our saving grace from Rubén Wolkowyski with 43 seconds in the final, in the semi-final in Indianapolis, the Germans could have played the final in the USA…
With the best player in their history, they remained competitive but couldn’t deliver the big blow they did that Sunday in Manila. They warned with seventh place at Tokyo 2020; they threatened strongly with third place at last year’s European Championships; and today they conquered the world after beating Serbia in the grand final, no less.
The new power against a country with all its traditions It’s no coincidence that he was also an undefeated champion (8-0. Above all, a great team with brilliant individuality Dennis Schroder, his destabilizing NBA point guard (Toronto Raptors), capped an elite championship with 28 points in the key game and ultimately won the MVP. But Franz Wagner, another NBA player (Orlando Magic), also stood out, especially in the first half (19). Daniel Theis, that very German wall who also plays in the NBA (Indiana Pacers), formed an impregnable duo with Johannes Voigtman (perhaps the number of the game: 12 and 8 rebounds) to nullify Milutinovic, the Serbian pivot. Everyone did their job to help Germany win their first World Cup.
The first half was brilliant with two great defenders who couldn’t dictate the game because the attacks were even better. Operationally and at an individual level, as both teams confirmed why they achieved the definition. Brilliant Bogdanovic, much more than a shooter, a goalscorer. A complete player who showed why he was the great candidate for MVP: 15 points to become Serbian leader. On the other side are two more NBA players, the versatile Franz Wagner (14) and Schroders Moment, an unbalanced base if ever there was one (14). Serbia recovered from defeat again. He continued without Simanic after a Sudanese man struck his elbow, causing him to lose a kidney. And in this final without Dobrik, with a sprained ankle after two minutes. The two showed their skills and there were a total of 15 lead changes, so they ended in a draw with 47 points.
The balance began to turn in the third quarter as Germany and its strategy began to deliver better results. It was Voigtmann’s defense alongside Theis against Milutinov that changed everything. The Olympiacos pivot was unable to play deep, which took away space from the perimeter players who were under heavy pressure from the Germans. It was a great defensive net to go on a 15-6 run to start the final quarter (69-57) with a 12 lead. Schröder, unpredictable, was the best figure, the one who commanded the game and scored 23 points.
But of course, Serbia is Serbia. Character, talent, and job And Avramovic was the X-factor on both sides in this case and destroyed Schröder. So he returned to the game until he was within 4 minutes with 5 minutes left. But some conceptual and execution errors, without Bogdanovic and Milutinov on the pitch, robbed him of some momentum but didn’t let him give up. Germany was never the same in the end, and Serbia, led by Avramovic, fought until the end, getting within three points at 1:21. Bogdanovic immediately stole the ball, and Guduric scored the equalizing three-pointer after a corner. He also had a double game and a foul that didn’t end, and on the other hand, Schröder didn’t forgive. One-on-one and a great goal with 21 seconds left Guduric made another mistake with a pass and ended up wasting his chances.
Germany is the new world champion, who would have thought that? It is clear that not everything is history and tradition, we have to do things very well today…
