PASAY, BRATISLAVA. No Nikola Jokič, Vasilije Micič or Miloš Teodošič. Without these names, no one expected the Serbs to be able to play for gold at this year’s World Basketball Championship.
They finally succeeded. In the semi-final match, they beat one of the hot favorites for gold from the first day of the tournament, Canada.
A year ago, the Serbian fiasco came in the form of an early elimination already in the round of 16 at EuroBasket 2022. This time they wanted to make up for it, which they have already succeeded in doing. They are sure of a medal.
The Canadian team had many names from the NBA at the championship, but even they were not enough for the great team play of Serbia.
Where did the error occur?
The Canadians defeated the Spaniards in the second round of the tournament and later the Slovenians in the quarterfinals, thanks in part to their physical play. However, it was suddenly ineffective against the Serbs.
“For me, Canada is the best defensive team in the tournament. But we’re not bad in defense either,” emphasized Serbia’s coach Svetislav Pešič after the match.
VIDEO: The joy of Serbian basketball players after advancing to the finals
They have the second best offense in the tournament. They average 97.7 points per game. The Serbians have the most accurate hands in the tournament, boasting a 56 percent shooting success rate. In addition, they lose an average of only ten balls per duel, which is the third lowest number among all teams in the tournament.
In the meeting against Canada, Filip Petrušev had the least minutes on the board in the Serbian lineup (9:48). Nikola Milutinov received the most space (30:12).
It was fascinating to watch how coach Pešič worked with the entire roster. Every player thus participated in the victory. On the opposite side, the coach of Canada, Jordi Fernandez, primarily used his favored seven players from the NBA.
This is no time to talk about Jokic
The Serbs had the upper hand under the basket. Although they lack Jokic in the attacking force at the tournament, perhaps his absence gave Nikola Milutinov an opportunity to show himself. Thanks to this, he has a bigger role in the team than in the past.
This 212-centimeter-high pivot averaged 13 points and 9 rebounds per game in the tournament. He is definitely a more valid defensive player than Jokic would be.
He showed it especially in the quarter-final match against Lithuania, where he guarded the star Jonas Valanciunas.
2023-09-08 13:00:52
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