UAt exactly 10:39 p.m. the siren sounded in the World Cup arena in Manila, which finally started the celebration. Franz Wagner jumped up and down with an expression of pure joy on his face, Daniel Theis and Moritz Wagner jumped onto the floor shouting and tightly entwined, Dennis Schröder was hugged by his teammates.
The German national basketball team seemed to move between joy and disbelief at what they had just accomplished. With an 83:77 victory over Serbia, the German selection won the Basketball World Cup for the first time in history on Sunday evening. In an intense game, the most important game in German basketball history, they proved everything against the Serbian selection that also made them the only undefeated team in the tournament.
Huge defensive intensity in the game
Basically, the entry of the two teams already offered a small foretaste of what would follow on the floor: As in the past few days in Manila, Dennis Schröder and his Serbian NBA counterpart Bogdan Bogdanovic – they also competed on Sunday evening for the award for the most valuable player of the tournament – most enthusiastically received.
Closely followed, however, by Franz Wagner and Andreas Obst, whose greeting undoubtedly included recognition for his memorable performance in Germany’s overall memorable semi-final win against the USA. Given Serbia’s exceptional defensive strength, it was not expected that the game against Serbia would have a similarly offensive character.
From the start, a game developed in which a lot of points were scored, but which was still characterized by enormous defensive intensity. Even in the early stages, the importance of a World Cup final was evident in every action. When Serbia’s Nikola Jovic hit the ball through the ring with all his strength in the fast break to make it 5-0, and then stood in front of his bench with the greatest possible body tension, the Serbian supporters in the stands became really loud for the first time. The sudden silence was caused not only by points from Franz Wagner and Dennis Schröder, but also by an injury to the Serb Ognjen Dobric. When he pulled towards the basket, he twisted his ankle and then limped into the cabin with support.
As a result, the German selection also did what was an important key to a possible victory: they responded to the impressive energy of their Serbian opponents and made many throws very difficult for them. The fact that they mostly trailed slightly in the first half was due to the numerous shots that Serbia hit despite their level of difficulty. Above all, Bogdanovic, who played elegantly and with good timing, placed his lay-ups so high time and time again that even the outstretched arms of Daniel Theis and Johannes Voigtmann were no obstacle to them. There were also two otherwise very rare threes with a board, which were duly celebrated by the Serbian bank.
The German team also had to work hard to earn their points, but they made good use of Serbia’s aggressiveness. Above all, Franz Wagner repeatedly attacked his opponents so energetically that they could only stop him with a foul. Amid repeated shouts of “goodbye” from the Serbian fans, the 22-year-old, who once again acted very confidently and hit important shots, mostly demonstrated accuracy.
Just like Dennis Schröder, who continued his balanced game against the USA and scored his 28 points with good odds. In addition, Germany’s captain once again showed himself to be a mature leader, repeatedly sought conversations with his teammates, and made exclamation points such as his rare dunking shortly before half-time. The score then went into the dressing rooms at 47:47. It was the most exciting starting point imaginable for a game that could hardly have been more intense.
It was a second half in which the intensity finally got the upper hand over the offensive power. National coach Gordon Herbert once again demonstrated his adaptability at this World Cup, as he had given his team the perfect plan on how to defend the Serbian center Nikola Milutinov, who was now in great demand. Germany doubled the 2.13 meter tall colossus, made it difficult for him to finish and even pass, and blocked him spectacularly in the person of Johannes Voigtmann. The German team only conceded six points in the first seven minutes of the second half.
Offensively, she acted with a calmness and confidence that she had previously acquired over the course of the tournament. Above all, Schröder continued to play outstandingly, used his pace again and again and really led his team to victory for the first time in this game. After another three-pointer from Franz Wagner, Germany led 67:55. Serbia’s coach Svetislav Pesic – he sensationally led Germany to the European Championship title in 1993 – took a time out while mistreating his chewing gum.
And yet things got exciting again in the final minutes. Because the Serbs didn’t give up on their emotional leader Aleksa Avramovic (21 points), they shortened Germany’s lead again. The game was now a thriller in an outstanding atmosphere. An atmosphere in which Dennis Schröder, above all, kept a cool head. Germany’s leader scored his team’s last seven points and secured their historic first World Cup title. The subsequent award for “most valuable player of the tournament” could hardly have been more deserved.
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