The German basketball players are also favorite in the European Championship round of round. National coach Alex Mumbru, who has cured his abdominal disease, could be back on the sidelines for the first time.
The German basketball players have arrived in Riga on the second part of their European Championship mission. It is also atmospheric a change, after the preliminary round in the tranquil tampere: Latvia’s capital, in which all games of the KO round are played, real metropolitan flair, with hip bars, a famous old town, but also a lot of traffic noise.
DBB routinier Thiemann before the round of 16: “A new tournament”
Such a change of wallpaper could definitely help to re -establish the focus again, said the experienced Johannes Thiemann at the media round. “In principle, we have a new tournament, it is a completely different pressure. We were already focused in the preliminary round. But now it’s a clear cut again, it really starts now.”
Mumbru again during training – and probably against Portugal on the sidelines
The other noticeable change was available for the German team at the first two training sessions in Riga, which were again managed by Alex Mumbru. The Spanish national coach had only had to follow the preliminary round in the hospital for five nights in the abdomen and then at the team hotel.
Mumbru, also the external impression in training, is on the way of improvement. If the doctors give their final OK, he should officially take responsibility on the sidelines at the round of 16 against Portugal for the first time at this European Championship. “It’s nice that he is back. You can also notice in the training sessions that he is fully back there”said world champion Thiemann.
The Spaniard again left the media appointment before the Portugal game to his deputy Alan Ibrahimagic, who had confidently guided the team through the preliminary round.
“We are a clear favorite”emphasized Ibrahimagic. Against the Portuguese it is important “To set an early sign”so Ibrahimagic. “You will try to make the game slowly. We have to play our own rhythm. So far we have done it well, we will try to continue doing it.”
The Portuguese are the supposedly easiest task of all remaining teams in the round of 16. For the first time, Portugal made it into the KO round at an EM, with a surprising victory in the last preliminary round against Estonia. In the current world rankings of the FIBA basketball association, the Portuguese ranks 56-in front of Panama and North Macedonia, but for example, eight places behind Great Britain, which conceded one pack of after the other in the preliminary round.
Portugal with the second worst Offensive of the tournament
The only internationally known player is Neemias Queta, who only plays a secondary role in the NBA at the Boston Celtics. In the European Championship, the 2.13 meter -tall center is definitely a factor for the Portuguese, it is one of the three best shot blockers of the tournament. In the previous games, Portugal only approved an average of 73.6 points of the opponent, almost as little as the German team (73.0). For this, the Portuguese have the second worst offensive, only the winless, overwhelmed team from Cyprus scored even fewer points per game.
Theis about Portugal: “Take completely seriously from the first minute”
The German team, in turn, puts the best attack on the tournament to date – the roles between favorite and outsiders could hardly be distributed more clearly before an EM round of ulcer. Daniel Theis said at the sports show microphone that the team would tackle the task against Portugal as well as the games before: “They will be highly motivated, in the round of 16 against us, as world champion. For them it may be the game of life “emphasized Theis. “We will take you completely seriously from the first minute.”
The fact that the German basketball players are also clearly in the favorite role in the round of 16 also contains a certain uncertainty for the hopefully subsequent games: Because at the latest in the quarter-finals waiting with Slovenia around Luka Doncic or the experienced Italians, opponents who can really become a problem for the DBB team. And in the semifinals it could possibly be against the Serbs around NBA superstar Nikola Jokic, before the tournament of the top favorite.
For the German team, which has so far hardly been challenged for the superior victories, this is also mentally a special challenge. Even in the preliminary round, negligence crept in, for example in the rebound work.
Thiemann: “Keep our usual game”
This has also made the returned national coach on the subject, confirmed Routinier Thiemann: “Of course you go to the rebound with plus 3 other than 30”said Thiemann. In the preliminary round, this didn’t matter, but this is now different, with the upcoming do-or-the games: “It shouldn’t happen that we lose our habits. We have to keep our usual game.“