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By Stathis Trapezanlidis/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Which are the games that have stayed in everyone’s memory because of two players’ excellent performances? In which games did one player from each team dominate to such an extent that the confrontation turned into a personal duel? Eurohoops remembers and looks back on recent EuroBasket competitions.
The selection was made based on two criteria:
a. The game has to be a knockout game.
b. The contribution and influence of the rest of the players on the game has to have been the smallest possible, as much as someone can say that about a basketball game, especially when we’re speaking of great teams with many stars on their roster.
As is expected, not everyone could fit in the top 10 and this is why the criticalness of the game played an important role in the selection. This is how truly great confrontations were left out, like the epic battle Sabonis (34 points) – Petrovic (30 points) in 1985, Navarro (35 points) – Valters (28 points) in 2005, Szanyiel (29 points) – Galis (38 points) in 1983, Herreros (28 points) – Jasikevicius (22 points) in Paris and many others.
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[lptitle title=”10. Dirk Nowitzki (43 points) – Pau Gasol (31 points)“]
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Germany – Spain 90-99
Bronze medal game 2001
In 2001 in Istanbul we witnessed the first big duel between the two, then upcoming, super stars that would dominate in the next fifteen years. Dirk Nowitzki versus Pau Gasol, with the bronze medal of the EuroBasket in the background. The German scored 43 points and got 15 rebounds, one of the best offensive performances in the history of the EuroBasket, while the Spanish center scored 31 points and got 10 rebounds. However, Gasol is the one who won the bronze medal, since the Bulls center had greater assistance from his teammates.
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[lptitle title=”9. Milos Teodosic (32 points) – Erazem Lorbek (25 points)“]
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Serbia – Slovenia 96-92
Semifinal 2009
The EuroBasket has a long tradition in great semifinals that were decided in the last shot. One of those games was between Serbia and Slovenia in an awesome show by Milos Teodosic in 2009 in Katowice. The Serbian playmaker for CSKA Moscow scored 32 points with 6 three-pointers, while he also had 3 rebounds, 4 assists and one steal. Erazem Lorbek was the counterweight, and even though he had a double-double (25 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals) in one of his best appearances with the national team, he didn’t manage to prevent the defeat from Dusan Ivkovic’s team.
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[lptitle title=”8. Andrei Kirilenko (29 points) – Ramunas Siskauskas (30 points)“]
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Russia – Lithuania 86-74
Semifinal 2007
Two traditional basketball nations faced each other in the semifinal in Madrid. One of the best personal duels that we’ve seen from two forwards, Andrei Kirilenko and Ramunas Siskauskas. The Lithuanian player for CSKA Moscow (he had just gotten transferred from Panathinaikos) won this informal battle scoring 30 points (4 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals) compared to the Russian’s 29 (8 rebounds, 1 assists, 3 steals), but Kirilenko was the one who rejoiced in the end as coach Blatt’s team not only went through to the final but also won the trophy against Spain.
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[lptitle title=”7. Dirk Nowitzki (27 points) – Navarro (27 points)“]
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Germany – Spain 74-73
Semifinal 2005
Germany and Dirk Nowitzki took revenge for the defeat in the third-place playoff in Istanbul in 2001. Pau Gasol is absent this time but the opposing force to the German is Juan Carlos Navarro, who scored 27 points (4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal), just as many as Nowitzki (27 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal). In fact, Nowitzki and Navarro battled it out at the end of the dramatic game as well. Barcelona’s player, with his famous “bombita,” gave Spain a one-point lead, but the Mavericks’ super star had the last word. In the very next offense and with 4 seconds left he scored a tough shot and Germany got the qualification to the final after 12 years.
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[lptitle title=”6. Arvydas Sabonis (26 points) – Dino Radja (25 points)“]
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Lithuania – Croatia 90-80
Semifinal 1995
Two of the best European centers of all time faced each other in the semifinal between Lithuania and Croatia in 1995. Arvydas Sabonis scored 26 points (7/14 two-point field goals) and got 17 (!) rebounds, while Dino Radja scored 25 points (10/14 two-point field goals) and got 5 rebounds. The Lithuanian was the one that celebrated in the end, having greater assistance from his teammates (Marciulionis, 27 points). But he didn’t manage to win the trophy too, as he was defeated by Djordjevic’s Serbia in the eventful final.
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[lptitle title=”5. Kresimir Cosic (23 points) – Wayne Brabender (22 points)“]
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Yugoslavia – Spain 78-67
Final 1973
Wayne Brabender led Spain to the final having knocked out the Soviet Union in the semifinal, putting a stop to their unbelievable streak of 8 trophies in a row. There, he faced Kresimir Cosic and the Yugoslavs. The game turned into a show for the two players, with Cosic scoring 23 points and Brabender 22. Yugoslavia deservedly won the trophy since they were better, while Brabender emerged as the MVP of the tournament.
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[lptitle title=”4. Dragan Kicanovic (22 points) – Sergei Belov (29 points)“]
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Yugoslavia – Soviet Union 90-84
Final 1975
The Soviets try to take back the reigns from the Yugoslavs. In the final, Kicanovic and Belov will put on an excellent show with the Russian scoring 29 points and the then 22-year-old Serbian scorer getting 22. Despite this, the Yugoslavs, who were playing at home, will win their second consecutive gold medal.
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[lptitle title=”3. Juan Carlos Navarro (27 points) – Tony Parker (26 points)“]
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Spain – France 98-85
Final 2011
Two great scorers will put on a show of their own, in the final in Lithuania, where Juan Carlos Navarro’s Spain faced Tony Parker’s France. The Barcelona player will score 27 points (5 assist), one point more than the French star of the San Antonio Spurs, whose stats were 26 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Spain was the best team in the tournament, they defeated the French relatively easily and won their second consecutive gold medal in a EuroBasket.
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[lptitle title=”2. Aleksandar Djordjevic (41 points) – Sarunas Marciulionis (32 points)“]
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Serbia – Lithuania 96-90
Final 1995
This particular duel could even be at the top of our list. The fact that the two players play in the same position makes it even more interesting. It was a complete performance by Aleksandar Djordjevic, who scored 41 points in 9/12 three-point field goals (!) and 3 assists, as well as Sarunas Marciulionis, who got 32 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. In the end, the Serbian celebrated the gold medal, while the Lithuanian, top scorer of the tournament, despite the defeat in the final, was voted the MVP of the tournament.
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[lptitle title=”1. Nikos Galis (30+30 points) – Drazen Petrovic (22+28 points)“]
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Greece – Yugoslavia 81-77
Semifinal 1987
Greece – Yugoslavia 87-98
Final 1989
This is perhaps the greatest “pair” that ever played in a EuroBasket. They were both unbelievable scorers, unstoppable even on a bad day, enjoyable when they were rivals on the court. Two crucial games between Greece and Yugoslavia turned into individual shows for them. The wins – like the trophies – were shared, since the home courts played a decisive role.
The first game was in 1987 in the semifinal when Galis scored 30 points compared to Petrovic’s 22 and took Greece to the final, then winning the trophy against the Soviet Union. The Greek scorer emerged as the top scorer and MVP of the tournament.
Two years later they met in the final and Petrovic took his revenge with 28 points, leading Yugoslavia to winning the gold. “Mozart” was the MVP of the tournament. Galis scored 30 points in the final, had to settle for second pace but was the top scorer of the tournament for the third time.
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