Germany beat Serbia to win their first FIBA Basketball World Cup title

Germany defeated Serbia 83-77 in the FIBA Basketball World Cup final at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, the Philippines on Sunday to win the title for the first time.

Serbia took a direct hit less than three minutes in the first quarter. Their best perimeter defender Ognjen Dobric sprained his ankle and headed to the locker room, but they made it up with high offensive efficiency. Though Germany kept closing out and worked hard to beat screens, Serbia shot 4-for-8 from downtown.

Bogdan Bogdanovic was Serbia’s sharpest attacker from the perimeter in the first half. He drained three triples out of four attempts, all off the dribble, to get 15 points. His side had better ball movement which set up more easy buckets, especially under the rim, for the team’s role players.

Germany mainly counted on Franz Wagner and Schroder on the offensive end in the first half. Wagner’s strong body and solid skills enabled him to break into the paint and make shots in front of the defender. Schroder managed to stay calm and reasonable in making decisions, going 5-for-8 in field goals (FGs). The two combined to score 28 points in the first two periods.

Serbia fell into a slump offensively in the third quarter, producing only six points in the first eight minutes. Meanwhile, Schroder began to attack the paint more frequently, getting nine points in this period alone. The game went from a 47-47 tie in the first half to a 12-point lead (69-57) by Germany after the third period.

Both sides increased their defensive physicality from the beginning of the fourth quarter, making it difficult for either team to score. Aleksa Avramovic took the offensive duty from Bogdanovic for Serbia to keep the game alive. He made one 3-pointer and drew a triple foul in the second-last minute, cutting their deficit to the chasable three-point (78-75).

Marko Guduric became Serbia’s biggest disappointment in the final minute as he missed an open corner three, an opportunity to complete a three-point play, and passed the ball out of the baseline. During that period of time, Schroder made one layup and two free throws to seal the deal for Germany.

In the other game on Sunday, Canada edged USA 127-118 in overtime (OT) at the same arena to finish in the third place in the World Cup.

The two sides had a total of 19 NBA players on their rosters, including star calibers in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton and Jaylen Brunson. Therefore, in a way, this competition looked like an NBA All-Star Game, especially in defensive intensity.

Canada made good use of such loose defense by draining 17 triples at 45.9 percent. Seven of them came from Dillon Brooks who scored court-high 39 points. Though USA attacked with high offensive efficiency as well, allowing Brooks to make so many easy buckets became a hidden risk that exploded at the end of the game.

One of the consequences caused by that risk was that SGA saved enough strength to take over when both sides grew serious in the fourth quarter and OT. He was already a top scorer in the NBA last season. Even USA’s defenders were unable to contain him one-on-one; they had to double-team him five minutes into the fourth period. Nonetheless, since both Brooks and RJ Barrett had heated up from downtown, Canada were making their opponents pick their poison.

Finishing in the fourth place in the World Cup couldn’t be satisfying to USA, which have dominated the basketball circle for decades, but they didn’t have much to complain about a cold fact: They are no match for top teams from Europe or Canada unless they send their best players to the competition.

The squad USA took to this year’s World Cup was solid, but lacked top talent. For example, Austin Reaves became a defensive weakness for Lithuania, Germany and Canada to attack continuously; Jaren Jackson Jr. was too thin in front of European big men with both strength and comprehensive offensive skills; and Brandon Ingram was completely lost under FIBA rules.

This leads to a question that many have begun to ask: Who will be on USA’s roster when they go to the Paris Olympics in 2024? Edwards will definitely be on the list because, despite the disappointing result in the end, he already grew into a player that could be counted on for clutch offensive plays. Mikal Bridges should be considered as well. If it weren’t for his epic performance of scoring four points in USA’s final play in the fourth quarter, there wouldn’t be OT.

Judging by coach Steve Kerr’s rotations in the World Cup, it’s easy to tell that he wanted to keep the small-ball squad as an ace in the hole until the time. In that case, he will need someone who can play center in that squad instead of putting Bridges or Josh Hart in that position.