USA – Germany
World Cup Semifinals
Pasay, September 8, 14:40 CET
The overall impression of the basketball public that follows the World Cup is that the German team, more than any other European, can match the powerful Americans in attack.
After a completely unexpected defeat by Lithuania in a spectacular match 110:104 in the Main phase of the World Cup, the American team showed their true colors in a 100:63 victory over Italy in the quarterfinals. However, that result can be deceiving – Italy is objectively the worst squad to reach the quarter-finals, having played only one top match at the championship.
On the other hand, the Americans, a team of NBA stars led by coach and NBA legend Steve Kerr, had a tough match and struggled against Montenegro on September 1, 85:73. They are still absolute favorites for gold. However, if there is one European team that could cause them problems in Friday's semi-final match - that is Germany.
An excellent example is their match, played in the preparatory period in August. On August 20, the Americans managed to beat the Germans 99:91, but only thanks to the inspiration of the key their shooters in the last quarter. The game was uncertain until the last minute - so even the result does not reflect the true state of affairs on the field.
So far, the Germans have achieved the maximum score with six victories at the World Cup. In each of the games they scored at least 81 points, and even three times at least 100 points. They were very impressive against Slovenia in the 100:71 victory in the Main phase. They show that they know how to respond to the peak periods of the rival's game. In the quarter-finals against Latvia (81:79), the main playmaker and NBA star Schroder had a poor shooting performance - but they still managed to win.
Extremely important news for the Germans is the return of young forward Moritz Wanger after injury. The ever-improving Orlando Magic basketball player in the NBA shows that he is an extremely reliable shooting option, especially against such quality teams as the Americans. Almost entirely, the Germany team is formed by NBA and Euroleague players, who have the quality to play good defense against American stars Edwards and Ingram.
It is easiest to expect a match with a large number of attacks that will be resolved in the first five seconds. Germany knows how to play that kind of basketball, so it is certain that the underdog against the Americans will score at least 80 points, and very likely more.
American coach Steve Kerr is known in the world of basketball as one of the main proponents of modern offensive basketball, and he will not give up on that game system. As the favorites, the Americans will want to settle this match with a large number of baskets, which will also give the opponent a chance for a decent performance in attack.