By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
MANILA, Philippines – Germany made it to the 2023 FIBA World Cup semifinals after surviving a thrilling match against Latvia and Davis Bertan’s potential game-winning three-pointer. As expected, it was the toughest challenge Germany has faced in the tournament so far, but they showed character and prevailed in the end, securing a clash with Team USA for the grand final.
Franz Wagner was a key player in the quarterfinal victory with 16 points and eight rebounds for a team-high PIR of 22 in his first game after recovering from an injury sustained during the opening night of the tournament.
“Really physical game, every possession mattered. We didn’t start that great, but we had a great effort throughout the whole game, and we earned it today as a team,” Wagner said after the win over Latvia.
He assures the injury is behind him and credits the team for staying perfect with a man down.
“We have 12 really good players, and we played great team basketball in Japan. I’m just happy I’m back to help the team. I feel good; my ankle held up, and I didn’t have any problems throughout the game. It took me maybe one or two ups and downs to get in the rhythm and gain confidence, but my teammates made it really easy for me to get back into the rhythm and helped me a lot.”
Statistically, this definitely wasn’t his best performance in the German national team, but when you count in the importance of the match, Wagner has no doubt that it was one of the biggest in his career.
“Definitely one of the most important ones because I’ve never played in the World Cup. I’m really happy that I could help the team win and that we advanced.”
Next up – Team USA. The biggest possible challenge at the World Cup.
“Enjoy the victory a little bit, but also get recovered, and tomorrow we focus on the USA and make sure we are ready in two days.”
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The leader of Germany, Dennis Schroder, had possibly one of his worst games in the national team jersey, shooting 4/26 from the field and ending the match with a PIR of -10. Still, his team won and improved to a perfect 6-0 score, advancing to the last four of the tournament.
“Everybody kept playing their own game, kept lifting him up; he did a great job of staying aggressive and not letting his offensive night impact him, and he impacted the game in other ways. It’s a team game, so not everybody is going to make every shot, and that’s what it’s all about, having all 12 guys ready.”
Photo: fiba.basketball