After a strong preliminary round, Germany’s basketball players felt ready for the really big tasks at the home European Championship. In the European Championship round of 16 against Montenegro, the DBB selection ended up being more difficult than expected. In the quarterfinals there could now be a duel with Greece and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The European Basketball Championship has so far also been a shooting contest between two NBA superstars: Giannis Antetokounmpo against Luka Doncic. Who would he himself bet on as a top scorer? Doncic asked at the media round after the win against Germany. The Slovenian scoring machine had just given the host 36 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, nickname “Greek freak“, had played 41 points almost at the same time as Greece beat Ukraine. “I would bet on Giannis“, said Doncic and followed it with a grin: “Because he is Giannis Antetokounmpo.”
First Doncic and now the Greek Freak?
Less than 24 hours later, however, it was Doncic who topped the Greek’s performance: With 47 points against France, Doncic scored the second best value that a player has ever achieved in a European Championship game, among other things Doncic had a certain Dirk with his record Nowitzki passed.
The German team will probably soon be able to see for themselves which of the two basketball forces of nature is the more powerful. The Greeks are the clear favorites in their round of 16 against the Czech Republic, they went through the preliminary round confidently and unbeaten, in a tricky group with co-hosts Italy, Croatia and the strong Ukraine.
Team Greece – more than just Antetokounmpo
Greece not only has its leader Antetokounmpo, who can hardly be stopped by any defense in the world. The Greeks have formed a powerful, experienced unit around their superstar: with playmaker Nick Calathes, dangerous shooters like Tyler Dorsey and experienced strategists like Kostas Sloukas.
A duel in the quarter-finals would be a real test for the German team: In the past, the German team often had nothing to gain in big games against the Greeks. Not even for the generation around Dirk Nowitzki, whose dream of winning the EM final in 2005 against Theo Papaloukas and Co. was shattered.
Lo, Thiemann, Wagner, Schröder – many leaders in the DBB team
But the German team of the year 2022 is different. In the preliminary round, the team proved that they can keep top nations in check. And that in addition to captain Dennis Schröder and NBA veteran Daniel Theis, there are several players who are willing to take on responsibility.
Sometimes it’s Maodo Lo and Johannes Thiemann from champion Alba Berlin, sometimes the young Franz Wagner, who played well against the Lithuanians and was also quite noticeable against Montenegro, but is now possibly injured. A failure that could hurt.
Montenegro was not a walk-in customer either
Compared to the big basketball nations, the DBB team no longer wants to make itself smaller than it actually is: Nine of the twelve players in the squad were last with a club in the NBA or in the Euroleague under contract. All are seasoned players who have been proving themselves at the highest international level for years and even if the win against Montenegro was unnecessarily close in the end: In the first half, the Germans showed magical basketball at times and led 24 points behind in a European Championship round of 16.
In addition, in the course of the tournament so far, no team has emerged that seems to be better than the German team in terms of the entire squad – not even the top favorites from Serbia.
Only strong opponents
Should the DBB team actually get rid of Greece after Montenegro, they could face Lithuania again in the semifinals. Or against Spain, the world champion, who, after a major upheaval, no longer radiates the old dominance.
The team may then also get the chance to take revenge against the Slovenians Luka Doncic – Slovenia would be a possible opponent in the final on 18 September.