The four teams in check
Who will win the EM? – The semi-finalists and their chances
The semi-finals of the European Basketball Championship are on the program in Berlin.
Photo: Soren Stache/dpa
Spain and Germany are closed teams, France surprised defensive anchor Gobert and Poland: This line-up in the semi-finals of the European Basketball Championship was not to be expected.
Berlin. Now it’s getting serious! The semi-finals of the European Basketball Championship are scheduled for Friday in Berlin.
First (5.15 p.m./Magentasport) the Olympic bronze medalist France plays against outsiders Poland, then (8.30 p.m./Magentasport and RTL) hosts Germany face world champions Spain in front of over 14,000 fans. Who has which weaknesses and who is favored after the three stars Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo were eliminated? The four semi-final teams in check.
Deutschland
Tournament record: six wins, one loss
Lost against: Slovenia
Stars: Dennis Schroeder, Franz Wagner, Daniel Theis
That speaks for the title: the team spirit, the home crowd and the duo Schröder and Wagner. Schröder has improved from game to game and delivered his best performance to date against Greece. Young star Wagner scores reliably, the big Theis and Johannes Voigtmann fulfill their roles as well as Maodo Lo and Andreas Obst, who score reliably.
That speaks against it: The individual players have little experience in big games, the last international semi-final was 17 years ago. National coach Gordon Herbert’s team has not had a bad day at this tournament. The first slip cost Serbia and Greece the tournament. Wagner’s ankle, Theis’ knee and Nick Weiler-Babb’s shoulder have to hold up.
Spain
Tournament record: six wins, one loss
Lost against: Belgium
Stars: Willy Hernangomez, Rudy Fernandez, Lorenzo Brown
That speaks for the title: The team is extremely balanced. The Hernangomez brothers Willy and Juancho can take on offensive responsibility just like Lorenzo Brown, who was naturalized at short notice. Rudy Fernandez was in the semi-final against Germany 17 years ago and still plays an important role. The defense is extremely high in crucial moments.
That speaks against it: There is not much left of the 2019 World Champion team. Willy and Juancho Hernangomez are still there, but Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio and Sergio Llull had to be replaced. Unlike Germany (Schröder), there is not one undisputed leader. Except for Lithuania, Sergio Scariolo’s team have so far lacked really powerful opponents.
France
Tournament record: five wins, two losses
Lost against: Germany, Slovenia
Stars: Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier, Thomas Heurtel
That speaks for the title: The Olympic bronze medalist survived weaker games against Turkey and Italy and twice fought his way through overtime. The nerves are intact, the NBA center Rudy Gobert, who is often reviled for his weak offensive, is a guarantee of success because of his defense. The team is well-established and only had to admit defeat to the USA in a similar line-up in Tokyo a year ago. Poland as a semi-final opponent is also a plus.
That speaks against it: The attack is worrying. Gobert is limited and usually only scores after offensive rebounds. Only 80 own points per game are the worst value of the four remaining teams. Coach Vincent Collet’s team is missing two pillars in Nicolas Batum and Nando de Colo. The current team already made heavy dropouts in the knockout round, losing a quarter against Italy with 18:31 and one against Turkey with 6:22.
Poland
Tournament record: five wins, two losses
Lost against: Finland, Serbia
Stars: Mateusz Ponitka, A.J. Slaughter
That speaks for the title: despite the surprising coup against defending champion Slovenia still little. Winger Ponitka drew attention to himself with a rare triple-double (26 points, 16 rebounds and ten assists), while the aggressive defense restricted NBA star Luka Doncic, one of the best players in the world. A plus are the passionate fans in red and white.
That speaks against it: The team is not constant. Against Finland (59:89) and Serbia (69:96) there was a bitter clapping, the offensive is a total failure on some days. Of the four semi-finalists, the Poles coached by Igor Milicic clearly have the lowest level of talent. After the victory over Slovenia, the surprise factor should also fizzle out in the semi-finals.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220915-99-778302/2 (By Patrick Reichardt and Lars Reinefeld, dpa)
