Latvia’s basketball players in World Cup quarterfinals against DBB underdogs – Sport

The German national basketball players can still warn about the opponent in the quarterfinals on Wednesday (10.45 German time, live ticker SZ.de) in Manila, they will not get rid of the role of favorites. On the contrary: After the bravura preliminary round and the two clear victories in the crossover games against Georgia (100:73) and Slovenia (100:71), many even see the German team as one of the contenders for the title. Besides the selection of the German Basketball Federation (DBB), only Lithuania has won all games. Teams like Canada or the USA, on the other hand, who were considered medal guarantors before the World Cup tournament in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines, got serious scratches after defeats.

In any case, the team from Latvia is a blatant outsider in the knockout game against the Germans, and the respectful words of coach Gordon Herbert change little: Sure, the Latvians are the “big surprise of the tournament, but they play very, very well Basketball”. Herbert knows the strength of the Latvian distance throwers, their good and aggressive defensive work and the enormous team spirit. The latter should even increase due to the challenge of the task, because a supposedly hopeless endeavor often brings a collective closer together.

The French (86:88 defeat) in the preliminary round and the Spaniards in the crossover game (69:74) had to experience how well this Latvian basketball team can play. Both the Olympic silver medalist and the world champion had clearly been judged better – and were therefore in a similar situation to the German team now. Now both teams are busy planning the trip home. The German delegation does not want to let it get that far.

Winger Davis Bertans plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder

In any case, co-captain Johannes Voigtmann is on his guard: “A very dangerous team that plays great together and has a lot of good throwers.” And the Latvians feel comfortable in their role, they have nothing to lose, says coach Luca Banchi, who also had a brief stint in the basketball Bundesliga. In 2018 he took over Brose Bamberg for the ousted Italian compatriot Andrea Trinchieri, but also had to leave after just three months.

In Indonesia, where the Latvians played their preliminary round, things went much better, although Banchi had to do without his most important player: 2.21-meter center Kristaps Porzingis from the Boston Celtics has a heel injury but will support his team morally – along with 2000 fans from home who traveled to Jakarta. An NBA professional is still there, winger Davis Bertans (Oklahoma City Thunder) has been earning his money in the US professional league for many years. Alongside Rodions Kurucs (once also in the NBA, now in Murcia) and Rolands Smits from the Euroleague club Zalgiris Kaunas, he is the most prominent player in the squad.

No comparison to the German team, which has shown similar qualities in the course of the tournament so far: extremely strong defence, a lot of discipline and great team spirit. In addition, Gordon Herbert’s team has a much better squad and also has a lot to offer on offense – above all, of course, captain Dennis Schröder, who can decide a game on his own. NBA and Euroleague players cavort in the German squad, the team also has a balanced mix of young and experienced players, and everyone seems to know how to contribute their qualities at the push of a button.

Like Isaac Bonga, the 23-year-old has no problem with being the favourite, after all the goal is a medal. “We know what we can do and we believe in ourselves.”