Germany – Latvia

International - FIBA World Cup, Knockout stage, Quarterfinal

The Basketball Expert

Germany have the best tournament among all the teams in the World Cup so far. They stand at 5-0, achieving dominant wins over Slovenia, Finland, Japan and Georgia. They only struggled in the showdown with Australia, but came out triumphant. In the previous game, there was a certain conflict during the timeout between head coach Gordon Herbert and Dennis Schroder, but it only fueled this team to crush Slovenia in the second half. Franz Wagner got injured in the first game against Georgia and hasn't played since, but he is expected to be available for this clash. Germany's offense is functioning excellently. Daniel Theis provides quality under the rim, Moritz Wagner can contribute in various ways, and there are several bench players capable of sinking shots in streaks. Andreas Obst is one of the best shooters in the EuroLeague, and Maodo Lo can hit four or more three-pointers in a game.

Latvia is the surprise of the World Cup. When the news came out that Kristaps Porzingis wouldn't be playing in this tournament, everyone expected this team to exit in the first stage. They proved that wouldn't be the case with a win over France. They lost Dairis Bertans in the very first game, but that didn't disrupt them either. They continued to play perfectly and defeated Spain and Brazil. They have fully deserved their spot in the quarterfinals, but they won't settle for just this. Head coach Luca Banchi has done a masterful job with this group of players. They all play as one, and the team chemistry is exceptional. Every player can hit a three-pointer, with Davis Bertans standing out as an NBA player. Rolands Smits had a great season with Zalgiris, and Arturs Zagars is showing why he was one of the most talented point guards in his generation. Rodions Kurucs deserves praise for playing phenomenal defense and being able to stop any opponent.

Latvia has done a fantastic job so far, but it's not realistic to expect them to play above expectations and their true quality in every game. Germany is growing as the tournament progresses, and everything Latvia does well, "Die Mannschaft" can do even better. Transition play is something both teams favor, and we can expect to see a large number of long-range shots. Considering the importance of this game, it's clear that both teams will be very focused from the start, and that's when quality shines through. It's simply on Germany's side in all positions.

Pistol Pete

According to everything that has been seen so far, Germany is the national team that has played the best basketball at the World Cup.
Unbeaten in five matches at the championship, the Germans earned the role of absolute favorites in the quarter-finals against Latvia. The best thing about Gordon Herbert's team is the fact that they are playing better, match after match.
Out of five games at the World Cup, Germany won only once with a difference of less than 18 points (!), against the excellent Australia 85:82 in the match played on August 27. Their last triumph, on September 3 against Slovenia 100:71 was particularly impressive. The team with NBA superstar Luka Doncic was reduced to only 46 points after the first quarter. The Germans scored as many as 62 points in the second half!
Previously, excellent Georgia was defeated 100:73, Finland 101:75... And the realistic assessment is that Latvia is a team of individual quality in the rank of Georgia and Finland. Latvians absolutely exceeded expectations, especially in the triumph over the European and world champions, significantly weakened Spain 74:69 – and then over Brazil 104:84.
In reality, in those two victories, the Latvians used the shooting inspiration of the players of the outside line. Their weapon is a large number of three-point shots in the early phase of the attack - but the Germans have shown, that it is with this game plan, that they "break" the opponents and show that they are better.
In this championship, Latvia does not count on the first star, power forward Porzingis. During the World Cup, the experienced captain, shooting guard Bertans, was also injured... However, for now, the national team manages to find solutions in the attack for at least one quarter in an out-of-series rhythm. Thus Latvians scored 27 points against Spain in the last part of the match. In the third quarter against Brazil, they scored as many as 36 points.
However, Germany showed that they are a team that know how to respond to good periods of the rival's game. Thus, against Slovenia, the Germans allowed the opponent 25 points in the first quarter - and still routinely celebrated in the end. And Slovenia is, objectively, a better team than Latvia.
All in all, Latvia exceeded expectations by reaching the quarterfinals, and they certainly remain the most pleasant surprise at the World Cup. On the other hand, Germany with four NBA players is absolutely targeting the gold medal. The national team is waiting for news about the recovery of an extremely important player, forward Moritz Wagner (Orlando Magic), who is struggling with an injury... Even without him, the Germans were superior in the previous games and have an excellent chance for another convincing victory with a double-digit margin.