By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Paris, France – From winning the 2023 FIBA World Cup and ranking third in the 2022 EuroBasket, Germany reached the Semifinals of the Olympic Games for the first time.
“We fought for that,” commented Johannes Voigtmann after helping the senior national team of his country defeat Greece on Tuesday, “We were happy with the attention we gave, and we enjoyed it.”
Action switching from the pool play in Lille to the knockout stage in Paris, Germany shook off a slow start in the opener of the Quarterfinals schedule.
“We struggled a little bit with the defense. In the offense, we could not get all the shots that we used to,” Voigtmann talked about Germany falling into a 15-point hole, “We took some time to get adjusted. The second unit did a great job coming in and covering for us, and bringing energy.”
In the Quarterfinals of the 2022 EuroBasket, a meeting between Germany and Greece shared the same result.
“For us, the last time was amazing, because it was at home. Now, it is in the Olympics. It was tough luck for the Greeks, but they had a great tournament. They were in a tough group and were able to reach the Quarterfinals. For them, I think it was a good tournament, and today it could have gone both ways,” mentioned Voigtmann.
Completing his Olympic run, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 22 points.
“He is a guy that you have to prepare a lot for,” said the 31-year-old big, “I do not spill any secrets. We were talking about him during most of the practice and in video sessions. We struggled in the beginning but in the end we we managed to shorten the space a little bit for him. He still had 20 points or something.”
Moving to the Semifinals, Germany will clash with the winner of the game between host France and Canada.
Photo Credit: FIBA