The German basketball players have already qualified for the quarterfinals at the World Cup. In the final duel of the intermediate round against Slovenia with superstar Luka Doncic, it’s all about winning the group. There is uncertainty about the other opponents and about the fitness of captain Dennis Schröder.
“We can pat ourselves on the back a bit,” said Isaac Bonga on Saturday (September 2nd, 2023) after the premature entry into the World Cup quarter-finals. At the same time, the national player spoke on the ARD microphone of an “intermediate goal”, the mission at the World Cup is not yet complete, according to Bonga.
In the final intermediate round game against Slovenia, it’s about winning the group – and also a bit about revenge for the duel against the Slovenians about superstar Luka Doncic, which they lost at the European Championships last year.
Before the duel with Doncic and Co. on Sunday (1:10 p.m.), the German team is concerned about the impending failure of their leader: Dennis Schröder went into the dressing room with a sore back and visible discomfort in the 100:73 win against Georgia in the third quarter .
Although he later returned to the bench, he watched the rest of the game from there. After the ankle injury suffered by Schröder’s co-star Franz Wagner, who has been out since the opening win against hosts Japan the Friday before last, the next shock ran through the limbs of Germany’s basketball team.
Herbert on Schröder: “If he can, he will play”
On Saturday, Schröder was back in the weight room doing stabilization exercises. However, the German Basketball Association (DBB) and national coach Gordon Herbert did not want to make any reliable predictions as to whether the captain would be fully operational again for the showdown with the Slovenians.
Schröder has “a bit of back pain,” said the national coach, who wanted to wait and see how the final training session went. “That’s the tournament, sometimes someone goes down. Dennis is a tough competitor, a tough boy. I think if he can, he’ll play,” said Herbert before the last intermediate round game at the World Cup in Okinawa.
Question marks further behind Franz Wagner
Because the advancement is already certain, Herbert could give his playmaker, who played in MVP form in the previous tournament, a break if necessary. For the knockout round in Manila and the dream goal of a medal, he will need Schröder and young star Franz Wagner at their old strength. Whether Wagner is an option after the last three games break against the Slovenians will also be found out during training on Saturday, the coach said: “I’m positive about the individual training, but he didn’t really train with contact. That will be a medical decision.”
Even without his “two-headed monster”, as he previously called the star duo, Herbert would have the same goal for the Slovenia game: “We want to finish first in the group.”
When preparing for the game, Herbert also revealed, the main thing was how to at least slow down Luka Doncic, Slovenia’s “one-man show”. “He is one of the best players in the world, plays as a guard at 2.06 meters,” said Herbert about the exceptional basketball player who is also physically strong. “We have to find a solution for this.”
Bonga as a possible chain dog for Doncic
One could be called Isaac Bonga. The Munich player, who has been in the starting five for Franz Wagner since his injury, is known as an extremely good defender and knows Doncic from the NBA. “The good thing is that it’s not the first time I’ve played him,” said the 23-year-old. With his energy and long arms, the defensive specialist could be the ideal chain dog for Doncic, who also likes to be thrown off balance by stubborn defenders. To really stop someone like Doncic, according to Bonga, you still need help: “Even if, as a strong defensive player, I want to have the killer instinct to stop someone on my own, you have to tackle it as a team.”
uncertainty about quarter-final opponent
It is highly uncertain which possible opponents the German team could expect in the knockout stages. This is also due to the special mode of the World Cup with an intermediate round: Normally, a group win promises the prospect of a more favorable starting position for the subsequent quarter-finals, where it then goes against the second-placed team in the crossover group.
But the strange constellation in Group L, which will face the German opponents in the quarter-finals, makes all possible calculations and speculations worthless: All four teams are tied there. That means two real group finals, only the two winners of the games Brazil against Latvia (11.45) and Spain against Canada (15.30) qualify for the quarter-finals.
One of the two top favourites, Spain or Canada, who meet in a direct duel, will therefore definitely fall by the wayside. The decision on who wins the group will be even more complicated, because the direct comparison will decide between the two teams that advance. If Spain and Latvia win, for example, the Spaniards could lose out in a direct comparison due to the defeat against the Latvians. If Brazil manages to progress alongside Spain, the Iberians would have a better chance of winning the group after beating Brazil in the preliminary round.
Canada, who cemented their status as title favorites alongside the USA in the group stage, could also progress as group first or runners-up depending on the outcome of the other game.
DBB team as one of the favorites in the knockout round
The German basketball players are now also among the favourites, after an impeccable record of four wins from the first four World Cup games. A win against the Slovenes for Superstar would in any case give the German team another boost – for the finals in Manila and the way to a possible medal.