7-foot-0 Serbia center Nikola Milutinov pumps the air shortly after his team pulled the rug from under Canada, 95-86, on Friday to arrange a final showdown with Germany. (Fox Sports photo courtesy)

By El Ami Go

All roads converged at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, as Germany and Serbia slug it out for the coveted 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup championship on Sunday (10 September 2023).

This climactic showdown is the culmination of a journey filled with astonishing upsets, as both European nations defied expectations to reach this pinnacle in Manila.

This marks Serbia’s second appearance in the final within just three tournaments, while Germany finds itself in its first-ever World Cup final.

The winner of this clash will become the third different nation to claim the title in the last five World Cups, following the shared dominance of the USA and Spain over the previous four editions.

Interestingly, neither Germany nor Serbia, the latter being a landlocked country in Southeast and Central Europe, were initially considered favorites at the tournament’s outset.

Teams like the host nation France, Spain, the United States, and Canada were the frontrunners for the gold medal.

However, France surprisingly exited in the group stage, Spain was defeated by Canada in the second round, and both the USA and Canada stumbled in the semifinals.

Germany’s journey to the final has been particularly impressive, remaining undefeated with a flawless 5-0 record in the initial two rounds and extending that streak through the quarterfinals and semifinals.

NBA players like Dennis Schroder, Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner, and Daniel Theis played pivotal roles in Germany’s success.

Schroder, for instance, not only contributed nine assists in the semifinal victory over the United States but also consistently showcased his scoring and playmaking abilities throughout the tournament. His only subpar performance came in the quarterfinals against Italy.

Franz Wagner stepped up during the final-eight match, delivering 16 crucial points. His well-rounded skills on both ends of the court have proven invaluable to Germany’s campaign. Additionally, contributions from role players like Andreas Obst, who tallied 24 points in the semifinals, have provided Germany with the much-needed consistency.

On the Serbian side, Bogdan Bogdanovic has been the standout player, leading the team with an impressive 23 points in the semifinal win against Canada. His back-to-back 20-point performances in the quarterfinals and semifinals were pivotal to Serbia’s success.

Key to Serbia’s journey to the final has been their staunch defense, limiting high-scoring opponents like Canada to just 86 points and holding Lithuania to a mere 67 points in the quarterfinals.

To secure the title, Serbia must effectively contain the perimeter production of Schroder and Franz Wagner.

Regardless of the outcome, Germany is guaranteed its best-ever World Cup finish, while Serbia is aiming for its first gold medal in its current iteration, having been part of two previous World Cup victories as the former nation of Yugoslavia.

Yugoslavia is the only other team aside from USA to have won five (5) golds in the history of world’s most prestigious gathering of basketball players.

In the cardiac semifinal round on Friday, Serbia defeated Canada (95-86), while Germany survived a tenacious all-NBA Team USA (113-111). Team USA and Canada will battle for the bronze ahead of the Serbia-Germany championship encounter. (AI/MNM)

MANILA – Puerto Rico and Greece moved on to the FIBA Basketball World Cup Round of 16 after beating their opponents in contrasting manners on Wednesday night.

At the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Puerto Rico joined Serbia as the top two finishers for Group B with a 107-89 win against China.

Needing only a win to advance, Puerto Rico did so in style, slowly but surely dominating China in the first half en route to a 52-37 halftime lead.

China played brilliantly in the third quarter to cut the lead down to nine, 78-69, entering the fourth, but Puerto Rico bounced back mightily in the fourth quarter to seal the rout.

Tremont Waters led Puerto Rico, which completes the cast for Group I along with Serbia, the Dominican Republic and Italy, with 22 points, three rebounds, six assists, and four steals.

Ismael Romero added 18 points and 10 rebounds as Puerto Rico also relegated South Sudan to the classification games–and a Thursday night clash with Gilas Pilipinas virtually without rest.

Zhao Jiwei led China, which will face Angola also on Thursday night in its own consolation game, with 14 points, one rebound, five assists and one steal.

The result also means a showdown between China and Gilas Pilipinas for potentially an outright seat in the Paris Olympics is set on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, Greece booked its place in the second round with an 83-74 win against New Zealand at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Greece turned things around in the second half, holding New Zealand, which led by as much as 13 points in the second quarter, to just 11 third-quarter points before completing the comeback with a 33-point fourth quarter.

Ioannis Papapetrou led Greece, which joined the United States of America as the Group C team that advanced further into the World Cup, with 27 points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.

Giannoulis Larentzakis added 20 points and two rebounds.

Shea Ili led New Zealand with 27 points, five rebounds, eight assists, and one steal, while Finn Delany added 10 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

With New Zealand missing the Top 16 cut, Australia will be the lone Oceania representative to the Paris Olympics men’s 5×5 basketball event. (PNA)