Italy, Poland, and Germany pulled off three massive shockers in the FIBA EuroBasket 2022, ending the phenomenal tournament runs of arguably the three best players in the world.

All-NBA first-teamers Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo put up impressive games throughout EuroBasket 2022, but their individual greatness were not enough to carry their nations to the finish line.

Poland, which doesn’t have a single current NBA player on its roster, upset defending EuroBasket champion Slovenia, 90-87, in the quarterfinals. Slovenia tried to make a late push but the comeback attempt fell short when Doncic fouled out with 3:02 left in the fourth quarter. The Dallas Mavericks All-Star point guard finished with 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.

Doncic needed an injection to get through the game and has been dealing with injuries throughout the tournament. But he told the Associated Press that injuries wasn’t the reason for his subpar game. “I played terrible,” Doncic said. “I let my team down. I let the whole country who was supporting us down. I’ve got to look at this game and be better.”

Poland built a 23-point lead in the second quarter and led 58-39 at halftime. Slovenia made a big push in the third quarter to get to within one point. But Poland regained control and outscored Slovenia 21-7 during a crucial stretch in the fourth quarter and held on for the win.

Italy’s big stunner came at the start of the knockout stage when it eliminated top-seeded Serbia — led by two-time NBA MVP Jokic — in the round of 16. Italy defeated Serbia 94-86 despite a 32-point, 13-rebound game from Jokic. The Italians also pulled off the upset without their head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco, who was ejected in the third quarter and went out in style with one of the more spirited exits you will ever see.

Serbia took an 11-point lead in the first quarter and pushed it to 14 points in the second quarter. But Italy came storming back and trimmed it to 61-57 with under 5 minutes left in the third quarter when Pozzecco left the court in tears after being ejected from the game with a second technical foul. The ejection ignited the Italians as they opened the fourth quarter with a 16-2 run to take an 82-70 lead and Serbia were unable to regain the momentum.

Italy’s miracle tournament run ended in the quarterfinals, losing to France 93-85. Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert led the way for France as he put up 19 points and 14 rebounds.

The Greek Freak’s time in EuroBasket ended in the quarterfinals. Greece fell to Germany 107-96 in Berlin. Antetokounmpo was ejected in the fourth quarter after being assessed with two unsportsmanlike fouls. The second unsportsmanlike foul occurred with just under five minutes remaining and Greece trailing by 14 points. The two-time NBA MVP and 2021 NBA champion hit Germany’s Daniel Theis (Boston Celtics) in the face as he wildly attempted to swipe a rebound. Giannis finished with 31 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals in 30 minutes. Former L.A. Lakers guard Dennis Schroder led Germany with 26 points and eight assists.

There were some interesting matchups throughout pool competition.

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas and Sacramento Kings power forward Domantas Sabonis led Lithuania to an 87-70 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was anchored by Jusuf Nurkic (Portland Trail Blazers). But the best pool-play matchup was between France and Slovenia. Doncic put on a show as he lifted Slovenia to an 88-82 over a stacked French national team, which featured three-time NBA defensive player of the year Gobert and New York Knicks guard Evan Fournier. Doncic dropped in 47 points, had seven rebounds and five assists. It was the most points scored in a single EuroBasket game in the last 65 years and the second-highest scoring game in the event’s history.

Serbia dominated its competition in Group D, which included some lightweights in the form of the Czech Republic, Finland, Israel, Netherlands, and Poland. Serbia went 5-0 and was barely tested in each pool play game winning by an average margin of 21 points. Jokic was his usual dominant self, averaging 19.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists in just 24 minutes per game.

Spain was the lone pool-play winner that advanced to the semifinals. The Spaniards defeated Finland 100-90 in the quarterfinals. Spain, ranked No. 2 in the FIBA world rankings, is loaded with international veterans, including Juancho Hernangomez (Toronto Raptors), Willy Hernangomez (New Orleans Pelicans), Rudy Fernandez (Real Madrid).

Newly acquired Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen paced Finland with a game-high 28 points. The 7-foot forward also grabbed 11 rebounds and had two steals. Willy Hernangomez led the way for Spain with 27 points shooting 10-of-13 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line.

Juancho Hernangomez saved his best performance in the gold medal game as his 27 points powered Spain past France 88-76. Juancho’s brother, Willy, was named EuroBasket MVP.

Cody Zeller posts impressive back-to-back games for the Bobcats. (GETTY IMAGES)

LAS VEGAS — You don’t have to be a basketball junkie to love the NBA Summer League, especially if the venue is Las Vegas, Nevada. For the general admission price of $25 you get to watch a slew of games at Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion, and if you’re paying attention you could bump into some celebrities or NBA executives. That’s like watching four live shows for the same price you would pay for a dinner buffet at Mandalay Bay.

One of the perks of being the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net is I get to make the pilgrimage to Sin City each summer to observe and absorb what is fast becoming one of the best shows on the Vegas Strip. A list of who’s hot and who’s not at the Vegas Summer League.

WHO’S HOT

Jonas Valanciunas — The Toronto Raptors second-year pro looks like he’s added some muscle during the offseason and is ready to start from Day 1. Valanciunas went to work in his first summer league game, dominating the paint and scoring 20 points on just eight shots in the first 20 minutes of the game, most of them coming against Miami Heat center Jarvis Varnado. The 21-year-old Lithuanian averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds a game and named the MVP of the Vegas summer league. If Valanciunas continues to develop, the Raptors could have their center of the present and future to go with wing studs Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan.

Cody Zeller — After a rough first game, the former Indiana University standout showed what he’s all about in his second and third games for the Charlotte Bobcats. He posted 21 points and 13 rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks, and then had 18 and 10 against the New York Knicks on 7-for-11 shooting from field. Zellar has been consistently knocking down his 18-20 footer, which makes his drives to the basket even more potent. Charlotte will be a much-improved team for the 2013-14 season led by Zeller, Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and newly acquired center Al Jefferson. Michael Jordan has finally figured out how this owner thing works.

C.J. McCollum — The Portland Trail Blazers must be doing cartwheels again this offseason after hitting the jackpot for the second straight season after drafting Lehigh star C.J. McCollum. McCollum has been better than advertised, showing a knack for creating offense when set plays break down. Also, his competitive spirit and intangibles are off the charts. He nearly single-handedly brought back the Blazers with 22 points in a tournament game against Phoenix. McCollum scored in a variety of ways, and was very patient coming off high screen-and-rolls. He should provide Portland with another perimeter stud to run with reigning rookie of the year Damian Lillard.

Austin Rivers — What a difference a year makes. At last year’s Vegas summer league, Rivers appeared like a freshman being rushed into an older fraternity. He was trying so hard to fit in that he often made mistakes along the way. This year, however, Rivers looks more comfortable — and quicker. He plays with more force on his forays to the basket and seems to have a better idea on how to attack a defense. Rivers has been playing a lot of point this summer for the New Orleans Pelicans, which leads us to believe that he’ll be the backup to Jrue Holiday or spell Eric Gordon at shooting guard.

WHO’S NOT

Ben McLemore — The Sacramento Kings guard suffered through a rough shooting game in his summer league debut, making just four of 23 shots from the field and looked a bit overwhelmed. He followed that awful performance with an even worse performance in his second game, missing his first seven 3-point attempts and finished the game just 4-for-12 from the field. A lot of McLemore’s 3-point shots weren’t even close to the rim, and some didn’t touch it. He just needs to settle down and move inside the line to get his stroke back.

Otto Porter Jr. — Speaking of struggling to find his stroke, the Washington Wizards forward is in the same boat as McLemore. Porter has been short on most of his misses, which means he’s not getting enough lift on his jumper. He also needs to be a little stronger with the ball as defenders are able to push him out of his favorite spots. Porter has good length and decent athletically, so he should be able to adjust to the pro game in due time.

Myck Kabongo — The former Texas Longhorn went undrafted in June and now we know why. He struggled during the Orlando summer league and he’s struggling again in the Vegas summer league. Kabongo is listed at 6-1 but he looks like he’s south of six feet. His ability to blow by defenders was suppose to be a strength, but he hasn’t shown it enough. And he’s a reluctant shooter, which makes it harder to create floor space. The Miami Heat could still invite Kabongo to training camp, but he will have a hard time supplanting either Mario Chalmers or Norris Cole at the point.

Meyers Leonard — There were scouts and experts who actually thought Leonard was a top-10 player in the 2012 draft. That’s a bit of a head-scratcher because Leonard has draft bust written all over him. He doesn’t rebound well in traffic and doesn’t play big in the middle. He’s very limited offensively and for some reason has fallen in love with the 3-ball. The Blazers have had a string of bad luck when it comes to centers and, unfortunately, Leonard is going to continue this sad tradition. To put in mildly, he’s a poor man’s Frank Brickowski. Sorry, Frank.

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