By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
MANILA, Philippines – Surprising Canada 95-86 in the semifinals of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Serbia got the ticket for the big final on Sunday, where they will face the winner of the other semifinal which puts Team USA against Germany.
In order to overcome one of the best teams in the whole tournament, defense was key. One of the protagonists of the Serbian victory to get to the 2023 FIBA World Cup made a special defensive effort, containing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who Svetislav Pesic described as “one of the best players” he has ever watched.
The Swiss knife in Serbia’s pocket was Aleksa Avramovic, who ended with 10 points and an incredible performance on the defensive end, concluding the game with the highest +/- rate of his whole team with 15.
Called “crazy” by the vast majority of his teammates, the 28-year-old Partizan Belgrade’s guard gave a show in the mixed zone. “Oh, nice! I feel great”, he said first when asked how he was feeling. “Guys, I still have energy honestly. I’m not very tired. Somehow, nobody of us is very tired. We are going to “celebrate”, watching the game to see who will be the opponent in the final”, he added.
Then, he went on to talk about the final game. “We already reached our goal, but there’s always more. There’s always anger in us, there’s still gas in the tank and we are going to give everything that we have against the USA… or Germany. Sorry, my bad”, he said. “Every team in this tournament demonstrated it can be beatable. Germany is currently unbeaten, an unbelievable group of talent”, Avramovic also said.
When asked how tough was to limit one of the best offensive players in the tournament, Aleksa Avramovic revealed his attitude. “I’m a competitor. No matter what kind of games I’m playing, even though it’s a card game, I want to win. I just want to make my family and my country proud. I’m talking for real, who knows me knows I’ll get absolutely everything for my team to win”, he added.
“This is the best day of my life after my marriage to my wife Theodora, I say hello to her. This is by far the best day of my life. Marriage first and family first, but this is really a great day. Without God, we can’t do anything. If you live with God you’re not scared of anything. This is the most important game of my whole entire life”, the Partizan Belgrade’s player concluded.
PHOTO CREDIT: 2023 FIBA World Cup
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