EThe German basketball players formed a circle and waved to the missing leader, Dennis Schröder. The Olympic dream for the team of national coach Henrik Rödl lives on. Cheered on by NBA star Schröder in the stands, the selection of the German Basketball Federation trembled in Split at the Olympic qualifying tournament in the semifinals.
On Thursday there was also a success in the second group game with 69:67 (32:35) against Russia, so the German team finished the preliminary round first in Group A. The best thrower at the winner was Center Johannes Voigtmann from ZSKA Moscow with 13 points, too Moritz Wagner (twelve), Niels Giffey (eleven) and Joshiko Saibou (eleven) scored double-digit.
This means that the semi-finals on Saturday will either be against hosts Croatia or outsiders Tunisia, who will meet at 8 p.m. In the other semifinals, Brazil and Mexico play against each other. Only the winner of the tournament will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
Nothing has been achieved yet
“It’s just a lot of fun working with these guys. They showed a lot of character again, ”said Rödl, praising his players after the hard-fought game. “I’m incredibly proud of the boys,” said Voigtmann. “But in the end all that counts is that we qualify for the Olympics. We have not yet received an Olympic accreditation for the semifinals. “
Before the game, there was still a lot of confusion about the starting position. On Wednesday everyone involved assumed that Germany would also suffice with a seven-point defeat, and Fiba had also published this on its website. On Thursday, the world association corrected its information a few hours before the start of the game. Only in the event of a defeat by up to six points would the German team advance to the semi-finals, it was now said.
Perhaps because of these discussions, the selection of the German Basketball Federation got off to a poor start again. “Of course we had that in our head a bit, but as professionals we have to ignore it,” said Giffey. Rödl had changed his starting line-up to two positions. Alba Berlin’s Giffey began for NBA professional Isaac Bonga, who had to pass due to a thigh contusion. The second NBA professional Wagner moved into the top five for Danilo Barthel.
Voigtmann intentionally misses free throws
But like against Mexico, the German game lacked rhythm after the turbulent preparation. The Russians, who had completely disappointed in their defeat against Mexico on Wednesday, quickly moved away to ten points (17: 7). Rödl responded with a time-out and once again loudly got his players in the mood. With success: the German team now acted much more aggressively on the defensive.
Cheered on by Schröder in the stands and driven by Wagner and the controversial Joshiko Saibou on the floor, the German team has now increased further and took the lead in the second quarter. At the break, Germany was still three points behind (32:35) – it was the feared nerve game.
Russia moved away to ten points (51:41). “It didn’t look good there,” admitted Rödl. But Germany struggled and cut back to three points by the final quarter (50:53). Shortly before the end, Germany was just ahead. Russia’s only chance was to save itself in extra time and win big there. It got bizarre: With a point ahead eleven seconds before the end, Johannes Thiemann deliberately discarded two free throws, Russia could no longer equalize – the German team cheered.
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