By Stathis Trapezanlidis/ info@eurohoops.net
The semifinals of the World Cup are over and Eurohoops presents the important numbers from the two big games. As usual those include great offensive and defensive performances, surprises and disappointments, odds and ends of the stats sheets. In addition to, some interesting tips for the two upcoming games for the medals!
* Great scoring efficiency for Serbia. They had 59% (50% averaged) in field goals, 53% efficiency (39% averaged) for threes and 72% in free throws (69% averaged)!
* The past and the present. Milos Teodosic scored 24 points with 9/12 field goals (5/7 3points) and dished up 3 assists! His coach is Sasa Djordjevic, one of the best Serbian point guards ever.
* The USA has won 4 times in past the World Cup, while Serbia twice. However, Serbia (we have to mention that for Yugoslavia and Serbia combined the titles are 5) and Brazil were the only ones back to back champions! The USA won the World Cup in 2010 and on Sunday night they will try to enter this list!
* Serbia vs USA! This is the first time they meet each other in the final of the World Cup.
* Klay Thompson scored 10,2 points per game in group phase, while he stepped up in “knock out” games scoring 17 points per contest!
* Adas Juskevicius tied Milos Teodosic’s record in this tournament with 10/10 free throws!
* Jonas Valanciunas earned 13 free throws against USA, the most after Bojan Bogdanovic (17) and Ante Tomic (14) in one game of the tournament.
* Nicolas Batum tied Mouhammad Faye and Chris Goulding in most 3 points field goal attempted (12)! However, he made three, the most in this World Cup.
* Nicolas Batum scored 35 points, the most after Yanick Moreira’s 38 points against Australia in the tournament.
* Boris Diaw (13 p., 10 r.) was the only one double-double player in the semifinals.
* In 2010 Lithuania won its first medal (bronze) ever in World Cup. The fourth place (in 1954) is the best for France until now.
* Serbia returns to a World Cup final after 2002 in Indianapolis. During that tournament it was also the last time Serbia faced USA.
* Additionally, in 2002 at Indianapolis it was the first time ever that USA didn’t manage to qualify for the semifinals! Serbians beat them in their house (81-78) and finally won the World Cup tournament!
*France and Lithuania are going to face each other in a WC game for the second time of their history and for the first time in a knock out medal deciding game!