Dennis Schroder etched his name in FIBA lore with one of the best closing performances you’ll ever see.

The 31-year-old point guard scored six points in the final minute to lead Germany to its first EuroBasket title since 1993. Germany defeated Turkey 88-83 in the gold medal game held at Riga, Latvia.

The win comes two years after Deutschland — largely with the same core group of players — won the FIBA World Cup title in 2023 in Manila. The rare double of winning the World Cup and European championships boosts Germany into the top tier in FIBA, and it could now lay claim to the title of second-best team in the world behind only the United States.

“We never shy away from the big moments. It’s not just Franz, it’s not just me, it’s the whole team,” said Schroder, who finished the final with 16 points, a game-high 12 assists, and he was named MVP of EuroBasket 2025. Schroder became only the seventh player to win MVP at both EuroBasket and the FIBA World Cup. The other six were Sergei Belov, Drazen Dalipagic, Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol. All six are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The German captain was also named to the all-tournament team, joining teammate Franz Wagner, Turkey’s Alperen Sengun, Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Slovenia’s Luka Doncic.

“To be a World Cup winner and European champ, it’s big time,” said Schroder, who averaged 20.3 points and 7.2 assists for the entire tournament.

Winning EuroBasket elevates Schroder’s profile. His NBA credentials may not be up to par with other established stars like LeBron James or Kevin Durant — he’s now on his ninth NBA team in 12 seasons — but he’s building an impressive FIBA resume.

And his performance down the stretch in the gold medal match against Turkey was one for the ages.

After Shane Larkin put Turkey ahead by one point with 1:34 left in the fourth quarter, Schroder answered seconds later with a lefty layup high off glass over Sengun to give Germany an 84-83 lead. Then with under 24 seconds remaining and the shot clock winding down, Schroder calmly pulled up from free throw line and swished a rainbow jumper over Ercan Osmani to put the Germans up by three with 18.4 seconds left.

Turkey had an opportunity to tie but Sengun’s desperation 3-point heave barely drew iron. Schroder grabbed the rebound and iced the game with two free throws.

Germany joins the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Spain as the only nations to hold both FIBA World Cup and FIBA EuroBasket trophies at the same time.

Turkey reached the final for only the second time in 25 years after dismantling Greece 94-68 in the semifinals. Osmani starred with 18 of his 28 points in the first half alone, and Sengun added 15 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists.

Meanwhile, Germany booked their spot in the final after beating Finland 98-86. Schroder led the way with 26 points and 12 assists, with Franz Wagner adding 23 points in the win. Schroder’s 12 assists set a new EuroBasket record in the semifinals. Lauri Markkanen was held to 16 points (2-for-9 from 3-point and 6-for-17 from the field), eight points below his scoring average in the tournament. In two games against Germany, Markkannen was held to 13.5 points and 2-for-14 from behind the arc.

ONE-MAN SHOWS
EuroBasket 2025 produced many outstanding individual performances. From Luka Doncic’s historic scoring games to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s individual brilliance, the best basketball players in the world showed up and showed out in Riga.

Giannis put Greece on his back with a 30-point, 17-rebound performance in the bronze medal match against Finland. Giannis also added six assists, giving him a 20-10-5 stat line for the fourth time in the tournament. No other player has more than three over the last 30 years of EuroBasket.

It was Greece’s first EuroBasket medal since winning bronze in 2009. Head coach Vassilis Spanoulis was on the last Greek team that made the podium in EuroBasket.

Giannis called winning a bronze medal for his country “one of his biggest accomplishments.”

“I know I’ve won an NBA championship, but there’s no feeling like representing your national team and representing 12 million people that breathe and live this national team. This is probably the greatest accomplishment so far in my life,” the Milwaukee Bucks star said.

The Greek Freak scored 37 points, going 18-for-23 from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds in leading Greece to an 84-79 win over Israel in the Round of 16. Only one other player on Greece scored in double figures (Kostas Sloukas had 11 points).

Luka Doncic’s one-man show continued in the knockout stage as the L.A. Lakers superstar dropped 42 points on 11-for-19 from the field, including 5-for-11 from 3-point, and had 10 rebounds in carrying Slovenia past Italy 84-77. The 42 points are five points off Doncic’s EuroBasket high mark of 47 against France in 2022.

Slovenia was eliminated by eventual EuroBasket champ Germany in the quarterfinals. In a loss, Doncic dropped 39 points on 11-for-25 shooting from the field and hit five 3-pointers. He also added 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Doncic finished with a tournament-best 34.7 points per game, becoming only the third player to average north of 30 points. Doncic’s 34.7 average is the third-best mark in tournament history. Only Greek legend Nikos Galis had a better tournament scoring average. Galis averaged 37.0 in 1987 and 35.6 in 1989.

SHOCKING UPSETS
In the most stunning result of the tournament, gold medal favorite Serbia was eliminated in the Round of 16 by Finland despite 33 points from Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. The Joker is still searching for that elusive FIBA gold medal, and this is the second straight EuroBasket tournament that Serbia went out in the Round of 16. Serbia lost to Italy in the Round of 16 in 2022, and now they bow out in the same stage in 2025, this time to Finland.

Finland got a team-high 29 points from Lauri Markkanen and timely 3-pointers from Elias Valtonen. The Fins pounded Serbia on the boards to the tune of 45-36 advantage, including 20 offensive rebounds.

Finland started on fire and went up 11-1 and extended the lead to 16-5 midway through the first quarter.

“They played a great game. From the start we didn’t come ready. I just wasn’t ready from the jump,” said Serbia forward Nikola Jovic, who plays for the Miami Heat. “Their 20 offensive rebounds were just unacceptable. We knew what they were doing, we prepared well, we watched film, still they managed to just better and more physical than us.”

The other major upset in the Round of 16 was Georgia beating France 80-70. The Paris Olympics silver medalists led for just four minutes as Georgia, behind the outside shooting of Bayern Munich guard Kamar Baldwin. Baldwin, who played college ball at Butler but went undrafted, picked a perfect timing for his EuroBasket career-high, scoring 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field.

Jaylen Brown and Gregg Popovich had a rough FIBA World Cup. (Getty Images)

Gregg Popovich became Papa-vich almost immediately after Team USA’s win over Poland on the final day of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

What should have been the culmination of another USA dominance at the World Cup turned into a sad post-mortem following the worst finish by an American squad in an Olympic or World Cup tournament. For the first time since the 2002 debacle in Indianapolis when the U.S. finished sixth, the red, white, and blue failed to win a medal in a major international tournament. Team USA were removed from medal contention after losing to Rudy Gobert’s French squad in the quarterfinals. A few days later, Team USA lost to Nikola Jokic’s Serbia squad in a consolation-bracket game. After that game, the Serbs didn’t even celebrate. They just walked off the court as if they expected to win.

Serbia was likely disappointed as well for not winning gold as it was one of the favorites entering the tournament. Spain — the No. 2 team in the world and led by NBA veterans Ricky Rubio and Marc Gasol — went home with the gold medal after defeating Argentina in the final. Rubio was named MVP of the tournament. France defeated Australia to claim bronze.

The U.S. played out the tournament by beating Poland 87-74 in a meaningless seventh-place game. Afterwards, Popovich went off on critics while praised the players who sacrificed their offseason for an opportunity to represent the red, white and blue on the international stage. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Popovich said anyone who thinks the team should be ashamed for not winning a medal is “immature” and “arrogant.”

“Some people want to play the blame game. There’s no blame to be placed anywhere,” Popovich said. “They want to play the shame game, like we should be ashamed because we didn’t win a gold medal? That’s a ridiculous attitude. It’s immature, it’s arrogant, and it shows that whoever thinks that doesn’t respect all the other teams in the world and doesn’t respect that these guys did the best they could.”

He added: “Their effort was fantastic. They allowed us to coach them. You give people credit for what they did, and that’s it. But it’s not a blame and shame game. That’s ridiculous.”

Popovich should be commended for his fatherly move to help ease the pain of the team’s failure. But there’s no silver lining in the team’s performance. It was awful.

The team was poorly coached and poorly constructed. USA Basketball president Jerry Colangelo can criticize the NBA superstars for skipping the tournament, but it doesn’t hide the fact that this team was not built to compete for gold. Sometimes is amiss when you have four members of the Boston Celtics (Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart) and Mason Plumlee on the roster. Only Walker was worth of a roster spot and fit the mold of a FIBA-type player. Brown and Tatum are good NBA players but their games don’t translate well to the FIBA game. They thrive in isolations. The FIBA game is more about ball and man movement, and offense is created with passing and outside shooting. Tatum ended up getting hurt and missed the final games.

Smart was a curious choice as well. You can make an argument that Pop kept Smart for his defense, in case the U.S. runs into Greece. Well, it did run into Greece and Smart locked up Giannis Antetokounmpo. But outside of that game, Smart was basically useless. He’s not a good shooter and not a true point. He was a liability on offense.

Speaking of liability, Plumlee’s inclusion on the squad was the biggest headscratcher. We get it that he’s a legacy player from the Mike Krzyzewski regime. But Plumlee had no business being on the roster. He’s barely an NBA player. Team USA would have been better off keeping Kyle Kuzma, whose game is suited for FIBA and can play center in a pinch.

About the only good news to come out of this World Cup was the fact that Team USA qualified for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Pop and Colangelo have 10 months to regroup and try to piece back together a fractured program.

Houston Rockets guard James Harden will take part in the Team USA training camp in Las Vegas. (GETTY IMAGES)

When Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski were putting together their list of players for Team USA in preparation for the 2014 FIBA World Cup of Basketball they may have been listening to California Love on their Beats by Dre headphones.

OK, that’s probably way not how Coach K and Jerry C. roll. But you can’t help but notice the number of players with West Coast on the 20 players who will participate in the men’s national team’s training camp in Las Vegas.

The players invited to camp include: Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards); DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings); Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors); Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans); DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors); Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets); Paul George (Indiana Pacers); James Harden (Houston Rockets); Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz); Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers); Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks); Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers); Paul Millsap (Atlanta Hawks); Chandler Parsons (Dallas Mavericks); Mason Plumlee (Brooklyn Nets); Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls); Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors), and John Wall (Washington Wizards).

Six of the 20 players invited to camp grew up in California. DeRozan is from Compton; Harden attended high school in Artesia; George grew up in Palmdale; Korver is from Lakewood; Thompson is from Santa Margarita and his dad is former Los Angeles Lakers great Mychal Thompson; and Lillard represents Oakland.

In addition, Curry and Cousins play for NBA teams rooted in the Pacific Division. So that’s eight players, nearly half the roster, with West Coast ties. It would have been nine but Russell Westbrook — who went to Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, Calif. — and his former UCLA teammate Kevin Love (born in Santa Monica, Calif.) both dropped out and won’t take part in the selection process.

Durant, Davis, Harden, Curry and Rose should be locks to make the 12-man roster when the squad heads for Spain. All five were either part of Coach K’s gold-medal winning team in the 2012 London Olympics or the gold-medal winning team in the 2010 FIBA World Cup (then called the World Championships).

Irving should also make the final cut because he played for Coach K at Duke (that’s a no-brainer), as well as George. Both participated in Team USA’s training camp in 2012. George’s versatility and defensive prowess makes him a valuable asset.

That leaves five spots left from a pool of 13 players.

Krzyzewski would likely take another big man and the decision will most likely come down to Cousins and Drummond. Cousins is the more polished low-post player but Drummond presents a matchup problem for any team with his size and athleticism. Love’s departure could mean both Cousins and Drummond may make the squad.

Because the FIBA 3-point line is shorter than the NBA 3-point line, you can’t have enough shooters on the team. That’s good news for guys like Thompson, Korver, Hayward and Parsons. A lot of the decision-making will hinge on how the players look and perform during camp and the exhibition games.

The World Cup of Basketball features 24 national teams and will be held Aug. 30-Sept. 14. The USA World Cup Team will play its preliminary round games in Bilbao, after being drawn into Group C along with teams from the Dominican Republic, New Zealand, Turkey and Ukraine.

France’s Tony Parker drives on Spain’s Jose Calderon. (GETTY IMAGES)

The FIBA Basketball World Cup, known from 1950 until 2010 as the FIBA World Championship, is arguably the second-biggest sporting event behind the FIFA World Cup. And, based on all the stunning play during the qualifying rounds, the world can’t wait for #Spain2014.

Spain will host the first-ever FIBA World Cup a year from now and 20 teams have already punched their ticket, with only four spots open for wild-card teams. Here’s a look at the teams that will compete in Spain and where they currently rank in the world:

United States (ranked No. 1) — Team USA earned an automatic berth to the World Cup by winning the gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics. As usual, Team USA will be prohibitive favorites to win gold and it would be a monumental upset if they don’t. So far only Kevin Durant and Kevin Love had committed to playing in Spain 2014, but USA Basketball president Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski — who led the U.S. to a gold medal in the 2010 World Cup in Turkey — shouldn’t have a hard time filling the roster with some heavy, heavy hitters.

Spain (No. 2) — The Spaniards are the biggest threat to the U.S., and they will have an entire nation behind them. Injuries are a concern for head coach Sergio Rodriguez. Pau Gasol, the cornerstone of the program for a decade, is dealing with tendonitis on both knees and his status for the World Cup remains uncertain. Guard Ricky Rubio is coming ACL surgery and even though he came back to play in the 2013 EuroBasket he’s still not 100%. The good news for Spain is that Rudy Fernandez looks rejuvinated, and Marc Gasol seems to embrace the leadership role on offense and defense.

Argentina (No. 3) — Manu Ginobili and Pablo Prigioni are getting up in age, so the mantle has been passed to Luis Scola. The newest member of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers remains one of the best FIBA players, and his level of play hasn’t dipped one bit. Scola is one of the last links to the golden age of Argentine basketball, a decade that saw the team win a gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics, silver at the 2002 World Cup, and bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Argentina has a proud tradition, so don’t expect them to lay down in 2014.

Lithuania (No. 5) — The Lituanians boast one of the biggest, if not the biggest, team in international competition. They have four NBA-type centers on the roster: Darius Lavrinovic, Robertas Javtokas, Jonas Valanciunas (Toronto Raptors), and Dontas Motiejunas (Houston Rockets). The Raptors have high hopes for Valanciunas, and the 21-year-old is the present and future of Lithuania basketball. Teams that played against Lithuania have to expect a rough-and-tumble game, and you better have some size to combat their size. Linas Kleiza is the team’s best scorer, but he goes hot and cold. Point guard Mantas Kalnietis, who led Lithuania to a 2006 European U-20 Championship title, is the catalyst on offense and plays with a ton of confidence.

France (No. 8) — France heads into the World Cup on an emotional high after capturing the country’s first EuroBasket title. Given the number of NBA players on the national team and the amount of talent they possess, the French should be ranked much higher than eighth in the world. Half of the players on the squad are on NBA rosters, three of them on the San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker (Spurs), Nando De Colo (Spurs), Boris Diaw (Spurs), Nic Batum (Portland Trail Blazers), Kevin Seraphin (Washington Wizards), Ronny Turiaf (L.A. Clippers). They have arguably the best point guard in the world (and that includes all NBA guards) in Parker, they have a superb small forward in Batum, and they have one of the most versatile big men in basketball in Diaw. On paper, France looks like a medal contender for Spain.

Australia (No. 10) — Andrew Bogut underway a procedure to clean out loose particles in his ankle so his status for the Australian national team is up in the air. If Bogut plays for the Aussies they could field a very competitive squad for Spain. Point guard Patty Mills (San Antonio Spurs) seems to always play his best against quality competition. Maccabi Tel Aviv guard/forward Joe Ingles was Australia’s second-leading scorer behind Mills during the 2012 London Olympics. Three-time Euroleague champion David Andersen will be 34 in 2014, but he’ll bring plenty of international experience with him.

Serbia (No. 12) — Former New Jersey Nets and current CSKA Moscow center Nenad Krstic is the anchor on both ends of the floor. Krstic is the leading scorer and rebounder of the team, and even though he’s slowed a bit with age he still finds ways to score in the post or the baseline. His CSKA teammate Milos Teodosic, considered one of the best point guards in Europe, missed the 2013 EuroBasket tournament because of a calf injury but should be ready to go for the World Cup.

Slovenia (No. 14) — Goran Dragic holds the key for the Slovenians, as he’s the engine that drives the whole program. The team feeds off his energy, and when he’s able to get in the paint with his dribble penetration he can cause a lot of problems. Dragic was sensational during EuroBasket 2013, leading his country to a fifth-place finish and earning all-tournament honors. Dragic’s brother, Zoran, is a 6-5 shooting guard who plays in the Spanish League. Forward Bostjan Nachbar, a 2002 first-round pick by the Houston Rockets, is Slovenia’s second-best scorer.

Angola (No. 15) — Since becoming a FIBA member in 1979, the Angolans have built a very successful program that has dominated the African region. The team has captured 11 FIBA Africa tournament gold medals, including the 2013 championship. The Angolans have come a long way since getting elbowed by Charles Barkley and the 1992 Dream Team.

Croatia (No. 16) — Once a basketball power during the 1990s led by Drazen Petrovic and Toni Kukoc, Croatia has gone relatively quiet for a long time. Since winning a silver medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and bronze at the 1994 World Cup in Toronto, Croatia hasn’t been much of a factor . . . until now. The team finished in the top four at 2013 EuroBasket for the first time in 18 years, and the resurgence is led by forward Bojan Bogdanovic, 7-footer Ante Tomic, and 19-year-old sensation Dario Saric. The 6-10 Saric, who is projected as a first-round pick in the 2014 NBA draft, has a terrific all-around game and makes good decisions with the ball. Roko Ukic, who had stints with the Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks, is a big guard (6-5) who can play either point or shooting guard, and naturalized player Dontaye Draper gives Croatia a quick, dynamic ballhandler and defender off the bench.

Puerto Rico (No. 17) — Guard play is very important at the FIBA level and Puerto Rico has two good ones in Carlos Arroyo and J.J. Barea. Arroyo had a long NBA career, playing for seven teams, while Barea currently plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Former New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets forward Renaldo Balkman provides the team with lots of energy and passion, and scores most of his points in transition. He now plays professionally in Puerto Rico with hopes of making it back to the NBA.

New Zealand (No. 18) — With half of the roster playing for the New Zealand Breakers, the Tall Blacks have a lot of familiarity and continuity. One newcomer to the squad is 20-year-old Jordan Ngatai, who will play college ball for Brigham Young University-Hawaii. Ngatai was called up to the senior national team after Jeremiah Trueman injured his foot. He impressed head coach Nenad Vucinic enough to earn a roster spot.

Iran (No. 20) — Behind 7-2 center Hamed Haddadi, the Iranians captured the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship held in Manila. In the finals against host nation Philippines, Haddadi took advantage of a Gilas Pilipinas team without starting center Marcus Douthit and completely took over the game. As long as the Phoenix Suns big man is on the court, the Iranians can compete against other Wold Cup teams but Haddadi will need help from his guards if Iran wishes to advance past some of the European, North and South American teams.

Dominican Republic (No. 27) — The most intriguing player for the Dominicans is 17-year-old Karl Towns. The 7-1 high phenom from St. Joseph High School in New Jersey made the squad as a 16-year-old last year and he’s still developing physically. Even though he was overmatched at the 2013 FIBA Americas tournament you could see the talent and potential. Towns will play next year for former Dominican coach John Calipari at the University of Kentucky. Calipari led the Dominicans to a bronze medal in the 2011 FIBA Americas tourney.

Mexico (No. 32) — The Mexicans pulled off a minor upset at the 2013 FIBA Americas tournament when they finished first, outlasting favorites Argentina, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Gustavo Ayon, who is under contract with the Atlanta Hawks, was named the FIBA Americas tournament most valuable player, scoring 20 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in the final against Puerto Rico. Former UCLA standout Lorenzo Mata may not be skilled offensively, but plays hard all the time.

South Korea (No. 33) — The Koreans finished third at the FIBA Asia championships in Manila, losing in the semifinals to Gilas Pilipinas but rebounded by beating Chinese Taipei. It will be the first time since 1998 that Korea will be participating at the World Cup of Basketball. Exciting young star Kim Mingoo led the team in scoring at FIBA Asia, including 27 against Gilas Pilipinas and 21 against Chinese Taipei.

Senegal (No. 37) — After finishing third in the FIBA Africa tournament, Senegal will make its first appearance at the World Cup since 2006. Charlotte Bobcats center DeSagana Diop is the most recognizable face on the squad, but he has not committed to the team for next year. Ten-year NBA veteran Mamadou N’Diaye played on Senegal’s 2006 World Cup squad, but he’ll be 39 next year so chances of him making a comeback are slim.

Philippines (No. 45) — Gilas Pilipinas earned its first World Cup berth since 1978 when the event was held in Manila. The Philippines has a rich basketball history, going back to the days of the great Carlos “Caloy” Loyzaga when he led the country to a bronze medal at the 1954 World Cup in Brazil. Former Lakers forward Marcus Douthit leads the team in scoring and rebounding, but he missed the 2013 FIBA Asia final with a leg injury. His recovery is crucial to the Gilas Pilipinas’ success. Head coach Chot Reyes calls ultra-quick guard Jayson William as the best point guard in Asia. The team also relies heavily on the 3-point shooting of Jeff Chan and Ranidel De Ocampo.

Ukraine (No. 50) — If you see a Mike Fratello lookalike roaming the sidelines for Ukraine, that’s not an impostor. That’s the real Mike Fratello. The Czar of the Telestrator led Ukraine to a sixth-place finish at 2013 EuroBasket, helping the country earn their first World Cup berth. Fratello’s squad is spearheaded by another American, Eugene “Pooh” Jeter. Pooh Jeter is a naturalized Ukrainian player who played one season with the Sacramento Kings.

Egypt (No. 60) — Egypt scored a surprising second-place finish at the 2013 FIBA Africa tournament, but that should be the highlight of its run toward the World Cup. The last time Egypt was in the FIBA World Cup, Larry Johnson’s Grandmama commercials were running on TV.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Kerem Tunceri (10) celebrates Turkey's 83-82 victory over Serbia in the semifinals of the FIBA World Championship in Istanbul. (FIBA)

Lucky or not, host nation Turkey will be competing for a gold medal in the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Down 82-81 to Serbia with 4.3 seconds to play, Turkey coach Bogdan Tanjevic’s designed a play for his best player, Hedo Turkoglu. But as the Phoenix Suns forward made his move toward the sideline he lost control of the ball. Luckily for Turkoglu and Turkey, his teammate Kerem Tunceri was in the right place at the right time, as the Efes Pilsen guard picked up the loose ball and drove in for an uncontested layup with 0.5 seconds remaining in the game.

Serbia had one last opportunity to win but Novica Velickovic’s shot near the rim was blocked by Semih Erden and Turkey’s players stormed the court to celebrate the country’s monumental 83-82 victory before a raucous crowd in Istanbul.

“I had the lay-up so I took it. In the last four seconds, you don’t see anything, you don’t hear anything. It was perhaps the most important game for us,” said Tunceri, who finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He also recorded five of his team’s 10 assists, and his dribble penetration was key to Turkey’s fourth-quarter surge.

“You think the last four seconds were down to tactics, it was nothing except luck. Our thoughts were simply on getting the basket. We were lucky tonight, they played better than us. It was a miracle drive. This was the toughest game for us,” said Tanjevic, whose team will take on the United States in the final.

Both the U.S. and Turkey finished the preliminary round undefeated. The Americans, led by Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant, have stepped it up a notch in the knockout stage as they’ve posted double-digit wins over Angola, Russia and Lithuania. Meanwhile, Turkey was pushed to the limit by a very tough Serbian team, led by Milos Teodosic (12 points), Marko Keselj (18 points) and  Nenad Krstic (15 points, seven rebounds).

“We tried hard, we fought,” Tunceri added. “I think it was a fascinating game. From the beginning of tournament we have been fighting. At crucial stages, we went behind but we bounced back.”

Turkoglu led Turkey with 16 points, but he got plenty of help from 7-foot center Omer Asik and and 6-11 forward Erden, who combined for 14 points and 10 rebounds. Asik will play for the Chicago Bulls this season, while Erden will don the Boston Celtics jersey. Both big men should present some big problems for the United States in the final.

With the weight of an entire nation on their shoulders, Turkey did not play their best in the first half and trailed for much of the second half. But Tunceri was clutch in the fourth quarter. With Turkey down 75-71 and a little over four minutes left to play, he scored five consecutive points to edge them in front and make a game of it.

Serbia took a 42-35 into halftime, thanks to Keselj’s outside shooting and Krstic’s inside scoring. But the momentum switched to Turkey’s side in the second half, outscoring Serbia 25-21 in the third and 23-19 in the fourth.

“It was a very tough game tonight,” said Serbia coach Dusan Ivkovic. “We won the first half by seven points but we had less control in the second half and unfortunately, we lost our concentration because of the pressure in the last couple of minutes. Maybe luck turned against us with Tunceri’s basket in the last seconds.

“I think the Serbian team was better tonight. We deserved the win. We have to unite and prepare a small final for third place. I wish the best for Turkish team.”

All post-game comments were courtesy of FIBA.com

Kevin Durant's game-high 33 points led U.S. to 89-79 victory over Russia in the quarterfinals at the FIBA World Championship. (FIBA)

On Sept. 9, 1972, Russia shocked the United States in the controversial gold-medal game at the Olympics Games in Munich, Germany. It was a bitter loss for the Americans, who still refuse to accept their silver medals because they all believe the game was taken away from them by the officials.

It was the United States’ first loss at the Olympics and signaled the beginning of Russia’s rise to power in basketball. For the last 38 years since that infamous game in Munich, each time the United States and Russia go head to head the game holds a special meaning.

On the anniversary of the Munich game, USA and Russia met in the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.  Even though the Russians are no longer considered a powerhouse on the international stage and the intensity of the rivalry has been watered down since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia still presents a threat and the Americans certainly didn’t take the contest lightly during Thursday night’s matchup.

Kevin Durant made sure Team USA didn’t walk off the court disappointed as the Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star led all players with 33 points on 11-for-19 shooting to carry the U.S. to a 89-79 victory. Team USA will face either Lithuania or Argentina in the semifinals at Istanbul, Turkey.

Durant’s Thunder teammate, Russell Westbrook, provided a spark off the bench as 10 of his 12 points came in the third quarter and the U.S. outscored Russia, 26-17, in the quarter. Lamar Odom led the U.S. on the boards with 12 rebounds, and did a solid job in containing Russian 7-footer Timofey Mozgov (13 points).

After a shaky first half that saw the Americans hold a slim 44-39 lead, Westbrook went on a 7-0 individual spurt that included one 3-pointer and two thunderous breakaway dunks off steals. Chauncey Billups scored eight of his 15 points in the third, a quarter in which the U.S. led by as many as 15 and built a 70-56 advantage entering the fourth.

Despite getting caught up in a back-and-forth verbal joust with David Blatt leading up to the game, U.S. head coach Mike Krzyzewski was extremely complimentary of Russia and its head coach.

“I would like to congratulate Russia for playing such a terrific game,” Krzyzewski said. “Coach Blatt has had an amazing career coaching in Russia and the way his team played today shows the high quality of coaching he gives his players. I thought we were ready and played hard. It was a very well earned win against a terrific team with a great coach.”

Krzyzewski added: “They were playing good defense and we were not hitting the shots; the Russians seemed to be in control. The main thing I told my players in that timeout is just relax, there’s a long way to go. When you play against a team that never quits, you know they are going to play every possession and Russia did that.”

Blatt, who played at Princeton for Pete Carril and runs the “Princeton Offense,” took some heat for saying the Russians were the rightful winners of the gold medal at the ’72 Games, which infuriated Krzyzewski and USA Basketball officials.

Coach K fired back and said: “You know, he coaches the Russian team, so he probably has that viewpoint, and his eyes are clearer now because there are no tears in them. So, it’s great. Whatever he thinks, he thinks.”

After the 10-point loss to the U.S. in the quarterfinals, Blatt wished the Americans the best and applauded his coaching counterpart.

“I congratulate Coach K and his great staff and their wonderful team. One of the things that I mostly appreciate about USA Basketball under Coach K is that they recognize how to play the European game and still maintain that advantage that the American game gives them. We tried hard to stop them and there were moments that we were successful, but in all honesty, the game was in the control of the USA team.”

All postgame comments were courtesy of FIBA.com

Milos Teodosic's game-winning 3-pointer against Spain advances Serbia to the semifinals. (FIBA)

With one incredible long shot, Milos Teodosic lifted Serbia into the semifinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championship and ended Spain’s reign as world champions.

After Spain tied the game at 89 with 25.8 seconds left in the game on Marc Gasol’s dunk, Serbia put the ball in the hands of its playmaker, Teodosic, and the Euroleague’s 2010 MVP delivered one of the most dramatic game-winning shots in FIBA history.

As the shot clock and the game clock wound down, Teodosic calmly walked the ball up the middle of the court, launched a shot from almost seven feet behind the 3-point line over the outstretched arms of 6-foot-9 forward Jorge Garbajosa and swished it with three seconds remaining to give Serbia a stunning 92-89 victory in Istanbul, Turkey.

It was Teodosic’s only 3-point basket of the game. He was 0-f0r-6 until Serbia’s last possession.

“He’s a great player and he has a great feeling for the big shot,” Spain coach Sergio Scariolo said of Teodosic, who thoroughly outplayed Spain’s Ricky Rubio in a battle of Europe’s top point guards.

Spain had one last chance to tie the game, but inexplicably ran a very awkward and low-percentage play for Garbajosa near halfcourt and the Real Madrid forward dribbled the ball off his leg and couldn’t even get a shot attempt as time ran out.

[Watch the video]

The victory was extra sweet for Serbia because just a year ago it was embarrassed by Spain at the 2009 European final. Serbia waited a year to exact revenge on the Spaniards, and it certainly made the most of its opportunity Wednesday night.

Six players scored in double figures for Serbia and the team converted 15 of 30 shots from 3-point range. “We were not able to stop them on the long shots,” Spain guard Juan Carlos Navarro told the Associated Press. “That’s why we lost and I believe that’s why they deserved to win.”

Navarro did his best to keep Spain in the game, leading all scorers with 27 points. Garbajosa finished with 18 and Rudy Fernandez had 15 points, but was 0-for-5 from behind the arc. Rubio, who was in foul trouble in the second half, made just one of four shots and recorded only three assists.

Marko Keselj and Novica Velickovic led a very balanced attack for Serbia, scoring 17 points apiece. Dusko Savanovic added 15 and Nemanja Bjelica had 14. Keselj and Bjelica were a combined 8-for-9 on 3-point shots.

“I think it was a very, very tough game. Maybe the best one until now in Istanbul,” said Serbia coach Dusan Ivkovic, whose team will take on either Turkey or Slovenia in the semifinals.

“It’s very difficult to forget this kind of game, but we have to try to forget everything that happened tonight because in two days we will play in the semifinals,” said Teodosic, who finished with 12 points, eight assists and five rebounds. He played most of the fourth quarter with four fouls.

It was sweet redemption for Teodosic, who took his share of shots from the media after being suspended two games for taking part in an ugly brawl during an exhibition game against Greece prior to the start of the FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

Teodosic said he was sorry for the incident and regretted the embarrassing melee ever happened. He and teammate Nenad Krstic were both suspended at the start of the tournament. Krstic, who plays for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, battled Spain’s Marc Gasol for much of the game. Both players had 13 points, but Krstic outrebounded the Spaniard, 9-5.

It was a near-perfect game for the Serbians, who entered the tournament as a middle-of-the-pack squad and wasn’t considered a serious threat to medal.

Even though the Spaniards entered the World Championship without star players Pau Gasol and Jose Calderon, they were still considered heavy favorites along with the United States and Greece because of their talent and depth (nine Spanish players have NBA ties).

The 2010 World Championship wasn’t very kind to Spain. The 2006 champs lost twice in the preliminary round and capped its tournament with a heartbreaking loss to Serbia.

Having Pau Gasol and a healthy Calderon could have changed Spain’s fortunes at the worlds. But you can’t take anything away from Serbia, who took advantage of Spain’s porous zone defense, some lack of consistency on offense and questionable decisions by Scariolo.

Spain’s players didn’t have a good run, but they certainly didn’t get any help from their head coach. Scariolo couldn’t find a way to get Marc Gasol the ball in key situations, and he also didn’t have his team prepared against France.

There were times when Scariolo felt obligated to play all his players, which hurt the flow of the offense. Having too much talent on one team can be a negative. But more importantly, the high expectations contributed greatly to Spain’s early exit.

Without a doubt, having international superstars such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Manu Ginobili in the tournament would certainly boost interest. For whatever reason, all of them have decided to sit out this year’s world championships. They’re all entitled to a well-deserved break especially Nowitzki, Gasol and Ginobili, who have given up countless summers to play with their national teams.

However, one man’s loss is another man’s gain. OneManFastBreak.net publisher and editor Joel Huerto picks the five best players at the 2010 FIBA World Championship:

LUIS SCOLA, Argentina, forward: The 6-foot-9 power forward has been arguably the best player in the tournament and is the biggest reason why Argentina went 4-1 in Group A. He is averaging a tournament-best 29 points per game and leads the team with seven rebounds. Despite not being blessed with great athletic ability and size, Scola is able to dominate by being crafty. He has a very high basketball IQ and is seldom caught out of position. He has a nice face-up jump shot at the free throw line, and has an array of very efficient low-post moves that doesn’t require a lot of jumping. A veteran of countless international competitions and a member of Argentina’s gold-medal team at the 2004 Olympics in Greece, Scola is also a tough-minded individual who doesn’t back down from anyone. He is not considered to be a lock-down defender, but he moves his feet well on defense and takes charges in the lane.

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KEVIN DURANT, United States, forward: Though Durant says Chauncey Billups is the leader of Team USA, it is quite obvious that the Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star is the reason why the Americans have a great shot at winning gold in Turkey. Durant could easily average 30 points at the FIBA Worlds, but because the U.S. is so deep and talented he doesn’t have to be a volume shooter every game. Coach Mike Krzyzewski has been playing Durant at power forward much of the tournament to create some major mismatches. The 21-year-old scoring wizard ranks fifth in scoring at 17.8 per game, but he’s only averaging 24 minutes of playing time. Durant also ranks second on the team in rebounds (6.2), just a shade behind team leader Kevin Love (6.6). Durant’s value will only increase as the knockout round approaches, and the young superstar should be up to the challenge.

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LINAS KLEIZA, Lithuania, forward: The latest in the long line of great Lithuanian ball players, the former Denver Nuggets and current Toronto Raptors sharpshooter is just a notch below Durant among the top scorers at the FIBA Worlds. Kleiza, who is tied with Argentina’s Carlos Delfino at 17.4 points per game, is making 58% of his field goals and one of the main reasons why Lithuania went 5-0 in pool competition and finished first in Group D. The 6-8 forward is a very confident player, and even when his jump shot is off he always seems to find a way to score. He’s got a true scorer’s mentality and he is not afraid to take and make the big shot.

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ERSAN ILYASOVA, Turkey, forward: Lost in the giant shadows cast by countrymen Hedo Turkoglu and Mehmet Okur, the rest of the world are beginning to take notice of Ilyasova. The 6-10 forward from the Milwaukee Bucks is having a coming-out party of sorts at the FIBA Worlds. His 16.5 points and nine rebounds per game are solid, but his most impressive statistic is his shooting percentage from behind the 3-point line. In four games, the 23-year-old marksman converted 12 of 20 3-pointers for an eye-popping 60%. He saved his best game against the best competition when he lit up Greece for 26 points on 6-for-6 3-point shots. Thanks to Ilyasova, the host nation went 5-0 in Group C.

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VASSILIS SPANOULIS, Greece, guard: Guard play has been outstanding throughout the tournament, especially at point. The U.S. has gotten great play from Billups, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, Spain has a budding super stud in Ricky Rubio, Brazil is in the round of 16 because of the steady hand of Marcelo Huertas and Serbia is fueled by Milos Teodosic. But when you look at the overall picture, putting a premium on leadership and offensive efficiency, there is nobody better than Spanoulis. The 6-4 point guard leads Greece in points per game (14.0) and 3-point field goal percentage (46%). And his 52% shooting percentage from the field is amazing for a guard. His 2.2 assists per game doesn’t do him justice because he’s one of the best pick-and-roll guards in the world. Spanoulis is Greece’s barometer. When he plays well, Greece wins. When he doesn’t (like against Turkey), Greece loses.

Photos courtesy of FIBA.com

Argentina forward Luis Scola is averaging 28 points per game at the 2010 World Championship. (FIBA)

Don’t cry for Argentina just yet.

Even though the South Americans don’t have their best player, Manu Ginobili, in the 2010 FIBA World Championship, the 2004 Olympic gold-medalists are still a threat to contend for a medal in Turkey.

Luis Scola has become the unquestionable leader of the team and he having a very good tournament thus far.

The 6-foot-9 power forward – who recently signed a five-year deal with the Houston Rockets reportedly worth $47 million – is the engine that drives Argentina’s basketball factory. He’s a tough-minded player with an array of low-post moves. And even though Scola is not a very gifted athlete, he makes up for it with smarts and grit.

Scola scored 32 points to help Argentina beat Angola, 91-70, in a Group A game Monday, essentially securing the Argentines a place in the second round at the World Championship. Scola is averaging a tournament-best 28 points per game and a team-best seven boards. It wouldn’t be farfetched to say that Scola is one of the five best players at the FIBA level.

He scored 17 of Argentina’s 23 points in the first quarter against Angola as the South Americans built a three-point lead. He finished the half with 21 points as Argentina led 45-32 at halftime. In an 88-79 victory over Jordan on Wednesday, Scola netted a game-high 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the field.

The other half of Argentina’s 1-2 punch is Carlos Delfino. The Milwaukee Bucks guard lit up Angola for 22 points and then scored 18 against Jordan. The streak shooter is capable of carrying Argentina for long stretches and he’s also a very good ball-handler and defender.

Delfino is finally getting an opportunity to shine after playing in the shadows of Ginobili and Andres Nocioni in previous major international competitions. The 6-5 guard is averaging 18 points, five rebounds and almost four assists.

The other Argentine with NBA experience is Fabricio Oberto, who won a championship ring with the San Antonio Spurs in 2007. Oberto spent four seasons in San Antonio and played for the Washington Wizards last season.

Point guard Pablo Prigioni is a veteran guard with plenty of international experience. He leads the team in assists at 4.7 and he allows Delfino to play off the ball, in which he’s more effective.

Argentina (4-0) appears to be on track to finish Group A in first place, with only Serbia standing in the way of a perfect round. Regardless of how it does against Serbia, Argentina will be a tough out in the knockout round.

Leandro Barbosa scored 14 points for Brazil against the United States, but missed the one that could have tied the game at the buzzer. (FIBA)

Despite the absence of forwards Nene and Anderson Varejao, Brazil came within a basket of tying the United States at the end of regulation in Monday’s Group B matchup in the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

Fortunately for the Americans, Leandro Barbosa took the point-blank shot and – not surprisingly – missed. It was essentially a layup, and Barbosa blew it. He played well when his team was rolling, scoring eight points and making three of his five field-goal attempts in the first quarter. But when it mattered most, he crumbled under pressure. Barbosa shot just 2-for-13 the rest of the game and 3-for-13 from 3-point range.

Playing “small” in “big” games has haunted Barbosa for much of his NBA career, and it was probably the reason why he was traded this offseason from Phoenix to Toronto. During his time with the Suns when the team was out in front and playing loose, Barbosa (aka The Brazilian Blur) was at his best: penetrating, dishing, scoring. He is one of the best front-runners in the NBA.

“Leandro Barbosa is one of the best international players in the world,” U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski told FIBA.com.

At times, when The Brazilian Blur has it going, he’s nearly unstoppable. A career 12-point scorer in the NBA, Barbosa can score on anyone, and his first step maybe one of the quickest in the world.

But when the game gets in a halfcourt set and every possession is valued, Barbosa becomes tentative and his ball tends to get a little heavy. That’s Leandro Barbosa in a nutshell.

He had an opportunity to bail out his teammate Marcelo Huertas , who missed the first free throw and had to intentionally miss the second with time winding down. Huertas found Barbosa near the basket for the game-tying shot, but The Brazilian Blur got a little blurry and blinked. He missed a bunny!

Had he made THAT SHOT against the U.S., he could have been the hero of the tournament thus far and given his country an incredible opportunity for a monumental upset.

Had he made THAT SHOT, the Suns could rescind the trade (OK, maybe not).

But, he missed.

The United States escaped with a 70-68 victory and remained undefeated. Meanwhile, after winning its first two ballgames, the Brazilians have dropped their last two. They lost 80-77 on Wednesday to Slovenia, dropping them to third place in Group B.