Another first in the world of sports
By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.
FINALLY, the well-attended FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 was finally over last September 10.
Surprisingly, it was the underdog German five that made history by winning their first-ever FIBA World Cup championship after 18 tries. Like most of you guys, I never missed to watch the 17-day hostilities (August 25-September 10) beamed live on TV, especially the 113-111 squeaker conquest of Germany over top seeded U.S. squad in the semifinals that catapulted them to the championship.
Yes, the German five that failed to qualify in the 2014 version of this prestigious quadrennial meet, just landed 18th overall in the previous edition four years ago (2019) in China and was just 11th ranked in the world by FIBA before the start of this 2023 edition.
It did not seem probable that Germany, the new champion, was in the making despite carding 5-0 after escaping a pulsating win over lowly rated Latvia, 81-79, in the quarterfinals and barely edging U.S. by two points in the semifinals. The German team with five NBA veteran players and under the tutelage of Canadian born, the former 1984 Olympian and 1986 World Cup veteran Gordie Herbert, was a very different German quintet this year. With some luck, they played almost impeccably, achieving all the production ingredients of plays especially their suffocating defense against all their foes, especially the dreaded 6th world ranked Serbia in the championship match. I believe that was the big key that paved them to win the prestigious world tiara beating Serbia, 83-77, at Mall of Asia Arena last Sunday.
Participated in by 32 accredited countries all over the globe, Germany was the fifth country that swept the world tilt, 8-0, after U.S., Spain, Argentina and Brazil. It’s Germany’s second medal winning the bronze in 2002 World Cup spearheaded by NBA’s megastar the seven-footer Dirk Nowitzki bagging the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. The prolific Germany’s point-guard Dennis Schroeder of NBA’s Toronto Raptors who pumped in 28 points, two rebounds and the two important steals and free throws in the last 21 ticks, highlighted the game. His sterling performance earned him the MVP award of the tilt. He was also selected as a member of the All-Star five of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
U.S. who invented this sport, landed fourth this time, three ranks better after the Americans placed a poor seventh overall in the last edition, their worst in their history of FIBA World Cup. We saw how the five-time-champion U.S. succumbed to its neighbor state Canada, 127-118, via scintillating overtime. On the verge of defeat, U.S. reliable point-guard Mikal Bridges single-handedly forced the deadlock at 111-all by deliberately missing his second free throw to grab the offensive rebound then converted an improbable tying trey from the corner with 0.6 seconds left. But the five-minute extension period luckily went for the Canadians to win the bronze, their first in their FIBA World Cup history.
U.S., under the tutorship of NBA’s Golden State Warriors Steve Kerr ignored enlisting household names of NBA players, confident to win the diadem and gambled to handpick 12 relatively youthful and less-experienced players. Learning a big lesson twice in-a-row (2019 and 2023), U.S is contemplating a plan to send some its professional best to the 2024 Paris Olympics, like what it did in 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Let’s wait and see.
The 2023 World Cup hosted by three countries, Japan, Indonesia and Philippines as the main hub was a rousing success as I saw it in terms of the actual competitions. Well, there were some minor glitches especially among the referees but that’s common in this sport.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.” EZEKIEL 18: 21
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