By Panos Katsiroumpas/ info@eurohoops.net
The World Cup of Spain came to an end in Madrid with the final between USA and Serbia. It was a dominating game for the Americans from the beginning till the end. There was no contest very early as the winners never looked back. There is not much to talk about this final because the point differential was huge but let’s see what helped the dominance of Team USA.
Defense
Team USA played great defense, being very aggressive on the ball. They tried a half court press with double teams and traps mostly against Teodosic in the pick and roll plays and it worked. They faced difficulties only in the first five minutes but then they found their defensive rhythm. They never let Serbia think they could make a run through their offense and were dominating also in the post defense with Cousins, Faried and Davis having a big impact.
Execution
As we mentioned in the WC “Shots” for the final preview, Team USA needed to execute with high percentages behind the 3pt arc. They have done exceptionally well in this part, especially in the first half. They finished the game with 50% (15/30) and their percentage was even higher in the first 20 minutes (65%). Irving, Harden and Klay Thompson made the difference in this part of the game.
Dominating Night
Team USA was lucky to have their best night in this World Cup in the Final Game. If it is difficult to beat them in their mediocre day, then is impossible to beat them when they play well and everyone contributes. Team USA took something from any player that stepped on the court and everyone had his part in this huge night. They scored from everywhere, in any way, and played good defense when needed. It was one of those nights that no other team can have realistic hopes of beating them. Eight players finished with more than 10 points and their numbers in field goals were impressive, considering the importance of the game (45/78, 58%)
WHAT WILL BE REMEMBERED
* The most European Team USA
We are not considering Team USA as the best team in terms of team plays and chemistry, but in terms of roles. They had the answers in every problem that they faced in thi competition. They were a great role team, with great point guards and ball handlers (Irving, Rose) a leader (Harden), players who are great shooters, can move great without the ball and execute (Curry, Thompson, DeRozan), athletic forwards and great defenders (Faried, Gay, Cousins, Davis). They presented a team that matched perfectly european basketball and taking their talent into consideration, they are deserved World Champions.
* The Real MVP ( Milos Teodosic)
In our opinion this prize belongs to Milos Teodosic. He had a great run in the knock out stage doing everything for Serbia. High quality execution added to his unbelievable passing talent. In the knockout games he averaged 17,5 points and 5 assists and he was the main reason of the presence of Serbia in the Final.
The knockout games of France
The 4 games that France played after the group stage were all thrillers. Beginning with the game against Croatia that were saved because of a three points shot from Bogdanovic. Then it was the game against the hosts, Spain, that ended after a thrilling fight to the biggest upset of the tournament and the elimination of the very talented Spanish team.
After that, the biggest game of this World Cup came. A game that will be remembered for ages, the epic semifinal against Serbia with the unbelievable comeback in the last quarter and the thrilling finale with big baskets and great personal performances by many players from both sides. It’s was the biggest game of the competition without any doubt.
Finally the battle for the bronze medal. Another huge game for the French Team which showed character and guts only 18 hours after their elimination from Serbia. In this game the star of Boris Diaw shined again, another player that could have been candidate for MVP along with Nicolas Batum. They both contributed the most for the first world cup medal in the history of the French team
The comebacks of Turkey
In this competition Turkey was the master of comebacks. They have done it not once or twice, but three times. Their first victim was New Zealand which had a 10 point lead but Turkey make a big run in the fourth quarter and won the game.
It was more or less the same against Finland in a game the Finnish team committed suicide missing free throws and easy shots in clutch time. Akyol tied the game in the last seconds with a three and in overtime it was all Turkey.
Australia didn’t learn from the lessons of New Zealand and Finland. They blew an 11 points lead in the beginning of the fourth quarter, Turkey played great defense and forced another huge comeback with two big three points shots by Preldzic in the final minute of the game.
Group C in Bilbao and the fans of Finland
The most thrilling first phase group with many close games was that in Bilbao. If we exclude the games in which the United States participated, all the other contest where very intense and decided in details. This was the most balanced group and the games were very entertaining for the fans. Talking about the fans, we need to underline the great atmosphere that was created by 8.000 fans of Finland inside the stadium. Great support and great impression by the Finnish supporters.
* The game between Australia and Angola
This was the most controversial game in this World Cup. Australia lost to Angola after having a 13 point lead in halftime and conceded 62 points in the second half. As a result, FIBA started an investigation on the matter. With a loss Australia was going to finish third on the group – provided that Lithuania also got a win over Slovenia as it happened – and avoid United States until the semifinal. Despite their loss they felt short against Turkey and never reached the medal round
The future
In this competition it became clear that the distance between the NBA and European Basketball remains big. It’s extremely difficult for a European team to beat Team USA when the Americans are really prepared and have a roster with clear roles. The difference in athleticism and individual talent is big and despite Europeans being very good basketball players, and in some cases better in reading of the game, is not easy to overcome the gap.
The presence of many European players in college basketball and the NBA is a passport of competitiveness, but still the games depends mostly on how the Americans perceive FIBA tournaments. Team USA showed they have increased their level of respect for European Basketball and they are ready to face any challenge. It’s very difficult to find them unprepared and this fact works in favor of them. Under these circumstances they will be the big favorites for years to come.
In 2015 a EuroBasket is coming and we will try to have an early look of what we are going to expect the following year. France seems to be the strongest team with the addition of Tony Parker and many other players who were absent in the World Cup. They created a huge character as a team in this World Cup and in our opinion they will be the favorites for the following year.
Spain is ready to say goodbye to the generation of Pau Gasol, Navarro and Reyes. They still have a lot of good and talented players and they will be always a strong contender. Serbia, Croatia, Greece and Lithuania have a lot of talent and great basketball tradition and we expect them also very strong. They still have to manage some roster problems that they face every year.