Comment | The wolf gang put on a stunning show – you can expect anything from this team

Valencia

Poland–Finland 88–89

Thursday The Valencia basketball arena saw a fight.

Finland and Poland competed in a result-or-out game for the next place in the Olympic qualifiers, and the great contribution of the match was not unclear. In some places, the game resembled vertical wrestling, although at the same time the pace was wild.

In Valencia, we also saw a completely incomprehensible sports spectacle, where the young and nameless Susijengi came from far behind to win and kept their Olympic dreams alive.

Poland was better in terms of individual skill. Finland did not get an NBA star Jeremy Sochania discipline, and no more “Yankee reinforcement” experienced by Poland AJ Slaughter. The duo led Poland’s attacking game without saying a word. Until it didn’t lead anymore.

Even before tournament it was clear that Finland’s seams without Lauri from Markka are in a completely different class than with him. Basketball is the most individual-driven of the popular team basketball games, which was also evident at times in this tournament.

Finland promised that it could win as a collective, and on Thursday it turned that promise into reality. The victory over Poland was a victory of the collective and a ferocious fighting spirit.

Markkanen is better than any of the Polish or Bahamian NBA players and would have been the best player of the tournament. In addition, the picture of the game, especially against Poland, was such that Markkanen would have been at his best.

The much-needed solver, the finisher of fast attacks and the support and security of slow attacks. But what does it matter? Susijengi, who took three quarters on their backs, found such a shift in the final decade that nothing more was needed for the team.

Already during the first three quarters, the team played excellently and especially as a collective at times Mikael Jantunen showed that he is ready to grab the team on his backpack.

On the fourth in the quarter, the whole team woke up to help. For example Olivier Nkamhoua and Edon Maxhuni rose to a whole new level. Not to mention About Alexander Madsen, who became the superior figure of the match. The captain who returned to Kehi Sasu Salin did what the captain said.

In the first quarter Finland fell into numerous pointless communication breakdowns at both ends of the field. This led to pointless losses in attack and equally pointless mistakes and free throws in defense.

The wolf gang had enthusiasm, will to fight and desire to win. It didn’t stick to that even at the beginning. Sometimes there was a little too much company, and the head didn’t want to keep up with the pace. In the final quarter, these things brought the team to an insane tension.

In a way, the match already looked like Finland’s game at the beginning. The team played with ferocious intensity, set the tempo and ran fast. Mistakes kept Poland involved and let them run away. Therefore, the absurd rise was logical at the same time.

Olympic qualifying tournament was not only that but also a showcase for next summer’s EC home games in Tampere. This tournament already shows that Markkanen and, for example, a year older Miikka Muurinen the strengthened team is ready for great achievements.

A few more words about Muurisen. Of course, he’s not ready yet at 17 years old, but he’s already a real weapon in this tournament. The hugely reaching Muurinen is already a goalkeeper, the likes of which has not been seen before in the Finnish national team.

Most of all, however, he dazzled with his complete, even profane, open-mindedness. The man doesn’t care at all who is standing in front of him.

The potential of the Finnish team has been talked about for a long time, and it is still strong. Young big men are constantly at a wilder level. The backfield has been Petteri Koponen and Teemu Rannikon followed by a question mark. Edon Maxhuni especially the Bahamas and Miro Little Against Poland they showed that it can be found there too.

Let the pursuit of the Olympic place continue!