SRB – ITA (101-82)

A phenomenal Serbia enters the knockout phase of the European basketball championship from a B1 position, fulfilling its first goal of the competition. The players of coach Aleksandar Đorđević have marked another win in the group stage, making a perfect record, 5 out of 5.

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Ponovo prava rapsodija reprezentacije Srbije. Pala je i Italija, čime su izabranici Aleksandra Đorđevića ostvarili savršen skor, od 5 pobeda u isto toliko utakmica. Ponovo je plesao po terenu kapiten Miloš Teodosić, sa ubačenih 26 poena. Njegovi potezi u saradnji sa Bjelicom i Raduljicom će nesumnjivo biti prikazivani iznova i iznova, kao neki od najlepših na šampionatu. Konačno je savladana i barijera od stotinu bodova, čime je srpska ekipa po prvi put postala trocifrena na šampionatu, rezultatom od 101-82, nakon dva slobodna bacanja Nemanje Nedovića, samo nekoliko sekundi pre kraja utakmice. Zajedno sa ali-upovima Nikole Kalinića, većinski naša publika u Mercedes-Benc areni je imala razloga za uživanje. Srbiji sada sledi zasluženi odmor do nedelje, i to sa željene B1 pozicije, nakon čega se sastaju sa Finskom, nakon njihovog poraza od selekcije Poljske.

Another strong match that required good physical fitness, as well as creativity, which was best shown half way through the third quarter. Kuzmić gets the ball right from the key area, passes it back to Teodosić, who then forwards onto Bogdanović, who then marks his first 3 pointer of the game. The difference in precision on the two and three point hits, helped Serbia increase their advantage over Italy, while the backdoor plays allowed an extra edge for the Serbian squad.  The centers, Ognjen Kuzmić and Miroslav Raduljica were key to the win, as the defence got tightened, not allowing the opponent through, during most of the match. Another loss of focus was noticed during the transition between the first and second half (around the 50 point marking), but was soon compensated.

The MVP of today’s match was Miloš Teodosić, with 26 points. A true example of what a good “one” can do for the overall result. His combo plays with Nemanja Bjelica and Miroslav Raduljica  are a proof of a well oiled machine, and are bound to appear in all of the highlights videos.

Nikola Kalinić and his quick alley-oops were just enough to mark the end of the match, as Nemanja Nedović followed with his free throws, allowing Serbia to reach triple figures, for the first time during this Eurobasket.

Another player that is definitely showing improvement is Zoran Erceg, with his three pointers, and a total of 8 points. Although he marked only 5 points, Stefan Marković enabled many of the day’s perfect moves to be executed to the very finish.
A truly excellent performance for the entire team, that proves justification for all of the high hopes, further confirmed by the stats: 89% for the free throws, 68% on the 2 points, and 29 assists.

Today’s match wasn’t about survival on the competition, but the position from which the squad would continue the Championship, ergo their first rival, Finland, that got defeated by Poland in a match that has started at 3pm. The winner will face Serbia on Sunday at noon, in the French city of Lille. In the meantime, team Serbia has more than enough time to rest and prepare further strategies for the upcoming matches.