Basketball qualifiers: Argentina fell against Che García’s Dominican Republic and lost a good opportunity to get quite close to the World Cup

The AmeriCup champion bowed to Dominicanwhom he had beaten in the continental competition (90-78). He lost the undefeated cycle of Pablo Prigioni, in their eighth meeting. He fell in front of an opponent prepared by Nestor “Che” GarciaCoach the one who fired almost two and a half months ago. Y complicated his way a bit towards the Philippines-Indonesia-Japan 2023 World Cup. All this meant for him Argentine national team of basketball defeat by 80-69 this Thursday at the Palacio de los Deportes, Santo Domingoby group E of the american playoff. It should be noted: without several important parts. Very important.

All perimeter, by the way. were missing Facundo Campazzo y Leandro Bolmaroin the middle of the NBA season; Gabriel Deck y Nicolás Laprovittolafrom the Spanish league; Charles Delphine, from the Italian. Their absences they were felt. Especially since a good part of the Argentine stumble was explained by the handling of the ball and the outside defense.

That the return to the continental classification in the fifth and penultimate window of the competition took place right in front of García, the DT fired as a result of an act of serious indiscipline, was shocking. Seeing the Bahian on the other side after the episode that ended abruptly in Mar del Plata with his management at the head of the Albiceleste team generated uncertainty about what his reaction would be.

Well, it was the best in relational terms: Che greeted each other friendly, and even warmly, with the players and with Prigioni and his assistants. He was even in the stadium Fabian Borrothe president of the Argentine Basketball Confederation (CABB), who at the time decided to leave at the request of what the basketball players informed him. Then yes, García was the histrionic character for which he is known.

In his debut at the helm of the Dominican Republic, a group he will lead for four years if nothing stands in the way of his contract, Che García was the same as always. He gestured, protested, shouted in his very hoarse voice. He visibly celebrated, as when he spread his arms wide and looked up at the sky celebrating a 3-pointer for 18-17. Also, he dealt harshly with his target in time-outs. “8-meter triple!” he groaned. “I don’t want Superman’s cape! I do not want it! Play basketball, c … ”, he bellowed furious, energetic, unleashed. Lifting the little board of the court on which he drew, fallen as a result of his bombast. At another point he was charged with a technical foul and it even seemed not far from being called for a second and being sent off.

After an even start (20-20 in the first period), in the second quarter the locals escaped to 32-22 against an overwhelmed Argentina in driving the ball: 9 turnovers. And the difference climbed to 12 points with 1:35 left in the opening half, when the Dominican scored well and feasted on counterattacks. Only Nicholas Brussino (14 goals in that stretch), with points and defense, stood out in the visitor. Marcos Deliathis time captain, complied discreetly, irregularly, and Lucius Redivo he didn’t give up Of the rest, little or nothing.

Brussino’s “dance” to not lose the ball and convert

Argentina recovered a bit at the end of that half (41-33) and started the second well, until it got closer to 43-40, with more than Brussino. But that’s where the comeback ended. After a while, when he was 49-40 down, an unusual episode seemed to spread a cloak of mercy so that he would cool off and restart the game.

In any case, the cloak of mercy was more necessary for the field: a leak denounced the rain that was in Santa Domingo. With wet floors it is dangerous to play basketball and then the meeting was stopped until the weather granted a respite, as there was no possible infrastructural solution. And that was a danger for the host, because since next Sunday Argentina will appear in Nassau to face the Bahamas and will travel this Friday, there was no scope for a morning resumption.

A suspension would have implied a light blue and white victory. But the guest had the good will to continue, and after more than half an hour’s pause the game continued. With a Dominican triple for the difference to be 12 again, with 4 minutes remaining in the third stage. And he stretched to 14 (59-45), with one minute left. The missed shots and the losses of the Argentines facilitated the very fast counterattacks; marking from a distance on the perimeter invited triples.

The handsomeness of Redivo and the amazing performance of Augustine Caffaro (9 points and 6 rebounds in 13 minutes) allowed the distance to be reduced to 7 units (61-54), but not more than that. Andrés Féliz liquidated in the umpteenth counteroffensive (72-60) despite the fact that there was a little more than half a quarter to go. Argentina was never close to imposing itself on the Caribbean island.

With the winner already outlined, Che García harangued the public and Prigioni worried about the distance on the scoreboard (“the difference is important”, “we narrowed it down as much as possible”), since it can be a tiebreaker in positions. The first three teams from each of the two groups of six will arrive at the World Cup, plus the best fourth of the two zones. That is, seven teams on the 12 survivors among the initial 16. At this moment the Argentine national team is located fourth in the E, with the same score as Dominican but with this drop carving out the first tiebreaker. It is true that the second confrontation with the Central Americans is missing. But if he had triumphed this Thursday, the CABB representative would be much closer to the World Cup.

This window is subtracted from the aforementioned visit to the Bahamas, next Sunday. And the last one will be in February, which will begin with the local team against Canada –classified this Thursday thanks to its 94-56 victory over Venezuela in Edmonton– on the 24th and will conclude with the reception of the Dominicans on the 27th, also on national soil. This will close the path of Argentina, perhaps again without the NBA players and the main players in Europe.

THE NATION