By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
Saturday was the day of Group C and Group D, their teams returned to action and specially in Group D we have the almost final picture of the standings are we are getting ready for the thrilling finish of the first round.
The circle closed
Russia (0-3) after six glorious years and three medals couldn’t escape its woes. The absence of key players and everything that happened before the start of its training camp lead to an early exit from Eurobasket and to the loss of a ticket to World Cup 2014. Coach Karasev’s team lost to Sweden (62-81) which will probably also miss next round, however this result has its own significance for the Scandinavians.
Mutation!
Coach Orenga’s Spain returned to winning, but not in the way somene would expect. The defending champions defense the first day of the tournament was excellent (40 p.), this time it was even better against Czech Republic (60-39), however the game was close until the end of the third quarter and it will be interesting to see in the next rounds if the Spanish offense will start to produce its usual – and traditionally big – numbers.
Finally, Italy!
A team with great tradition has lost its track after the 2004 Olympics. For a long time Italy was just a shadow of its glorious past, but now it seems ready for the come back. Almost after a decade from its last medal a new generation is ready to shine and the win against Finland (62-44) was quite impressive.
Italy was focused on defense, but the really good news for coach Pianigiani come from his offense. Almost everyone scored, everyone was a threat to the basket and the team stayed perfect (3-0). Finland lost some ground after this defeat (2-1) and the tie breaking advantage to Italy, but it’s still on the road to second round.
Croatian answer
After the bad first game against Spain, Croatia (2-1) seems to find its true self, Bojan Bogdanovic was hot and the win against Poland (0-3) was easier than the final 74-70 implies. Poland can be considered one of the dissapointment of the tournament, specially after the promising image that has created in the warm up games.
Greek excellence
Playing without its leader, Vasilis Spanoulis, and against an opponent which had its back against the wall, Greece (3-0) reacted admirably. The final score (84-61) illustrates what happened on the court against Turkey (0-3), while also coach Trinkieri had the chance to use every player of his roster and keep his starters fresh for the game which will deside the top of Group D against Italy. Turkey will have to build a new team with new faces, because the one that got the silver medal back in 2010 seems to be tired and ready to retire.
Getting used to pressure
Eurobasket host Slovenia (3-0) got a scare, but finally got the win against Georgia (2-1). The final score was 68-72 and coach Maljkovic can be proud of his players, because they didn’t bend under pressure. Slovenia, which got a good offensive game by Lorbek, is the favorite to finish on top of Group C, while Georgia is still in the mix for the second round.
MVP
Our choice is Greek Giannis Bourousis. First of all, against a loaded Turkish front line he was devastating without getting a lot of minutes and also he played despite having a fever, he did his job and he also had the luxury to get some rest in the second half in order to get rested for the game against Italy.
Best Five
1.Νikos Zisis: He is one of the most cerebral players in the old continent and proved it when Greece need him to do it, because of the absence of injured Vasilis Spanoulis. He showcased his basketball IQ by reading the opponent’s defense and finished the game with 11 assists and just one turnover, making always the right call.
2. Bojan Bogdanovic: It was his day and he never stopped. After all he didn’t have to as the Croatian forward had 23 points against Poland on 8/16 shots and 6 rebounds. He was the catalyst in Croatia’s victory,
3. Jefferey Taylor: He was just explosive. He had 25 points (10/18 shots) against Russia and also 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. He was always on full speed, that’s why he also had 7 turnovers.
4. Jonas Jerebko: The teammate of Taylor in Sweden was also excellent. Detroit’s forward had 22 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 7/16 shots against Russia.
5.Giannis Bourousis: He is the MVP and here are his numbers. In 19 minutes he had 21 points, missing just one shot, and he also did a good defensive job.