Crazy in Manila! With a gala, the German basketball players also disenchanted top favorites USA at the World Cup and are actually reaching for gold.
Captain Dennis Schröder’s team beat the five-time world champions in a spectacular semi-final 113:111 (59:60), and on Sunday (2:40 p.m. CEST/free on MagentaSport) the final will be against Serbia and former national coach Svetislav Pesic Title.
It is already the greatest success in the association’s history; even with Dirk Nowitzki, a German team has never been in a World Cup final.
The jubilation in the Philippines was boundless, in the thrilling duel with the highly competitive Americans, the selection of the German Basketball Federation (DBB) celebrated its seventh victory in the seventh tournament game a year after winning bronze at the European Championships in Berlin. The negative streak is over and the first success against the USA in a major tournament came at exactly the right time.
“They are the favorites. They have the pressure,” Schröder said before the highlight, “of course we also have a chance of winning the game.” And the start was successful, unlike last time. The German team was wide awake, showed no nervousness at all, and moved the ball excellently.
Schröder with a clear increase in performance
After his weak performance in the quarter-final thriller against Latvia (81:79), it was clear that Schröder wanted to strike back, but the director quickly made two fouls. National coach Gordon Herbert let him do it, with his first three-pointer the Braunschweig player took a double-digit lead (25:15).
The USA were unimpressed, played to their individual class and got ahead – even if there were problems in defense. Especially against Franz Wagner, who returned to the starting five after recovering from an ankle injury and was almost unstoppable.
Wagner, Daniel Theis, who was also in a brilliant mood, and Andreas Obst – the Germans used their many options in the open exchange of blows, Schröder hit the three-pointer with a high percentage and made it 76:68 (25th).
Obst was the best scorer with 24 points
At the World Cup dress rehearsal in Abu Dhabi, the DBB team annoyed the world number two for a long time, led by 16 points and still lost (91:99). It was 94:84 before the final quarter against the USA, who surprisingly lost to Lithuania 104:110 in the second round and then dismantled Italy in the quarterfinals (100:63).
The USA came close again to 107:108, but Germany consistently stuck to their line and achieved the success they deserved.
In the first World Cup semi-final since 2002, when the team around tournament MVP Nowitzki won bronze in Indianapolis/USA, Obst (24), Franz Wagner (22) and Theis (21) were the best German throwers. Only Anthony Edwards (23 points) caused bigger problems for the outsider.