Germany is fighting Finland for the final at the Casketball European Championship. A big factor in the game will be the reunion of Lauri Markkanen and Isaac Bonga.
If you take the impressions of the group phase, nobody in Germany should be worried that the DBB team will not reach the final at the SEM basketball. Because the last hurdle on the way there is a team that had the obstacle height of an adhesive strip on the floor at the first meeting: With 91:61, the Germans swept Finland from their own hall in the group phase.
Bonga was in the group phase of Markkanen’s nightmare
The extremely great one had a very obvious reason. Isaac Bonga showed his whole class on the defensive and had such an exceptionally good day that he took Finland his heart and soul with the elimination of Lauri Markkanen.
With 24.7 points per game, the 28 -year -old is by far the best scorer in his team – Bonga managed to limit him to eleven points. The plus-minus balance of -16 (Markkanen’s tournament cut is +5.9) underpins the horrific evening that the German defense specialist had given him.
Bonga had a lot of fun torturing his opponent. “I was looking forward to this game all day and the personal matchup. I take something like that.said the professional of Partizan Belgrade at “Magenta Sport” in the knowledge that he had certainly made it into the head of Markkanen.
Germany expects “a completely different team”
This experience will be nine days when the NBA professional from Utah Jazz and Bonga reunited in the semi-finals on Friday (from 4 p.m. live in the Sportschau-Audiostream) in Riga. As for the duel with Markkanen, be “The answer is still the same”said the 25-year-old. “But I expect a completely different team. I expect a team that currently has a winning streak. They are good in shape and I think Finland is very hungry.”
Daniel Theis also said: “Finland should not be underestimated. This is a semi -final game at the European Championship.” “We just have to be ready. We didn’t make our best game twice, it will be time again”said Franz Wagner in the Sportschau interview. Because while Germany struggled against Portugal and Slovenia, the semi -final opponent rose primarily because of the round of 16 against tournament favorite Serbia (92:86).
Markkanen’s open bill – with a strong team in the back
What has changed primarily at Finland: The team of coach Lassi Tuovi is not completely dependent on Markkanen. Despite 17 points, he also weakened in the semi -finals against Georgia (93:79), but Mikael Jantunen (19 points), Edon Muxhini (15) and Sasu Salin (14) blossomed. In the game, Markkanen was only one of two players in the entire team with a negative plus minus record. Without him, Finland was much better against Georgia.
However, this does not mean that Markkanes against Germany will not be the one who rely on Finland. Alan Ibrahimagic, who says about him: “This is a very versatile player who is difficult to defend with his size and mobility. He can throw from the outside, but also act on the basket. He is really very uncomfortable to play.”
And Markkanen wants to show this especially now against Germany, since he has to pay an open bill against Bonga. It is about the European Championship final, but also a personal feud that had only taken place on the court and then continued by Bonga on the microphone. The output of the semi -finals will depend on how well Markkanen’s answer is.
Jakob Rüger, Sportschau, 12.09.2025 3:55 p.m.