“It’s an unbelievable group,” Schroder said. “It’s unbelievable going 8-0.”
The notion of Germany being the world’s best in basketball was far-fetched even when Nowitzki was the country’s best player.
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Germany celebrates with the trophy after winning the championship game of the Basketball World Cup against Serbia in Manila, Philippines, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023.
(AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Germany poses with their gold medals after winning the championship game of the Basketball World Cup against Serbia in Manila, Philippines, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023.
Germany poses with their gold medals after winning the championship game of the Basketball World Cup against Serbia in Manila, Philippines, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023.
(AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Germany guard Franz Wagner (9) poses with the net and gold medal after defeating Serbia in the championship game of the Basketball World Cup in Manila, Philippines, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023.
Germany guard Franz Wagner (9) poses with the net and gold medal after defeating Serbia in the championship game of the Basketball World Cup in Manila, Philippines, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023.
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Serbia guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (7) holds a silver medal after losing to Germany in the championship game of the Basketball World Cup in Manila, Philippines, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023.
Serbia guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (7) holds a silver medal after losing to Germany in the championship game of the Basketball World Cup in Manila, Philippines, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023.
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
BY TIM REYNOLDS
September 10, 2023
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Have a summer, Germany. Dirk Nowitzki went into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and now his homeland stands atop the men’s international basketball world.
Tournament MVP Dennis Schroder scored 28 points, Franz Wagner added 19 and Germany capped off an unbeaten run through the World Cup by holding off Serbia 83-77 in the final on Sunday night. It was Germany’s first World Cup title; its previous top showing in the event was a bronze at Indianapolis in 2002.
Germany went 8-0 in the tournament, becoming the fifth consecutive World Cup champion to go unbeaten. Schroder’s postgame news conference was briefly interrupted by his teammates, who doused him with water as they jumped and chanted in celebration
“It’s an unbelievable group,” Schroder said. “It’s unbelievable going 8-0.”
World Cup medals at stake, with Serbia-Germany for gold, US-Canada for bronze
Germany coach Gordie Herbert took the job in 2021, and his first official order of business was driving to see Schroder. They spent three or four hours together that first day, building a relationship that is now good as gold.
“It’s a little bit of a surreal moment,” Herbert said. “It’s like I told the players. It’s a tremendous group of players, but we were a team first. Guys cared about each other and they challenged each other.”
Aleksa Avramovic scored 21 and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 17 for Serbia (6-2), which lost the title game for the second time in the last three tournaments. It was routed by the U.S. 129-92 in the 2014 gold-medal game, and little was expected of the team this summer — merely because its best player, Nikola Jokic of the NBA champion Denver Nuggets, decided not to play and instead opted to rest for the coming season.
But Serbia went on a surprise run, fueled by inspiration the team took from the loss of reserve forward Borisa Simanic. He was fouled late in a first-round win against South Sudan, needed surgery that night for internal injuries and then a second surgery was required a few days later to remove one of his kidneys.
Simanic will get a medal. But it’ll be silver, after Germany simply proved too tough.
“We made great success,” Avramovic said. “Our heads are up. This is already past, and our next goal is to go the Olympic Games and make better success than this. Germany, they have been playing amazing. ... We know that we made our country happy and put a smile on them.”
A 22-10 run in the third quarter gave Germany all the breathing room it needed after a back-and-forth opening half, and Serbia couldn’t reclaim the lead down the stretch. It got within 79-77 after Marko Guduric made a pair of free throws with 39.5 seconds left, but Schroder blew past two defenders for a layup on the ensuing German possession to restore a four-point edge.
The notion of Germany being the world’s best in basketball was far-fetched even when Nowitzki was the country’s best player.
September 10, 2023
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Have a summer, Germany. Dirk Nowitzki went into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and now his homeland stands atop the men’s international basketball world.
Tournament MVP Dennis Schroder scored 28 points, Franz Wagner added 19 and Germany capped off an unbeaten run through the World Cup by holding off Serbia 83-77 in the final on Sunday night. It was Germany’s first World Cup title; its previous top showing in the event was a bronze at Indianapolis in 2002.
Germany went 8-0 in the tournament, becoming the fifth consecutive World Cup champion to go unbeaten. Schroder’s postgame news conference was briefly interrupted by his teammates, who doused him with water as they jumped and chanted in celebration
“It’s an unbelievable group,” Schroder said. “It’s unbelievable going 8-0.”
World Cup medals at stake, with Serbia-Germany for gold, US-Canada for bronze
Germany coach Gordie Herbert took the job in 2021, and his first official order of business was driving to see Schroder. They spent three or four hours together that first day, building a relationship that is now good as gold.
“It’s a little bit of a surreal moment,” Herbert said. “It’s like I told the players. It’s a tremendous group of players, but we were a team first. Guys cared about each other and they challenged each other.”
Aleksa Avramovic scored 21 and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 17 for Serbia (6-2), which lost the title game for the second time in the last three tournaments. It was routed by the U.S. 129-92 in the 2014 gold-medal game, and little was expected of the team this summer — merely because its best player, Nikola Jokic of the NBA champion Denver Nuggets, decided not to play and instead opted to rest for the coming season.
But Serbia went on a surprise run, fueled by inspiration the team took from the loss of reserve forward Borisa Simanic. He was fouled late in a first-round win against South Sudan, needed surgery that night for internal injuries and then a second surgery was required a few days later to remove one of his kidneys.
Simanic will get a medal. But it’ll be silver, after Germany simply proved too tough.
“We made great success,” Avramovic said. “Our heads are up. This is already past, and our next goal is to go the Olympic Games and make better success than this. Germany, they have been playing amazing. ... We know that we made our country happy and put a smile on them.”
A 22-10 run in the third quarter gave Germany all the breathing room it needed after a back-and-forth opening half, and Serbia couldn’t reclaim the lead down the stretch. It got within 79-77 after Marko Guduric made a pair of free throws with 39.5 seconds left, but Schroder blew past two defenders for a layup on the ensuing German possession to restore a four-point edge.
The notion of Germany being the world’s best in basketball was far-fetched even when Nowitzki was the country’s best player.
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