Bronze finish despite shaky hands: Captain Dennis Schröder and the German basketball players rewarded themselves for a strong European competition at home in the small finals in Berlin and completed the set of medals.
With a hard-fought 82:69 (36:23) victory over Poland’s outsiders, Gordon Herbert’s national team won the European Championship. 3rd time after the gold medal in 1993 and silver in 2005.
Two days after the bitter semifinal match against the world champion Spain (91: 96), Schröder led the German as the best thrower with 26 points for the all-important victory in one of the weaker competition games. Herbert had already given the EM medal as a goal when he took office last year, experts doubted it – but the Canadian delivered with his team.
Choosing DBB is difficult at first
“Don’t let your head down, boy! Get a bronze medal!” Dirk Nowitzki tweeted shortly after the semifinal loss, and the basketball idol kept his fingers crossed in the stands of Mercedes-Benz Arena during the last playoff game.
Schröder (“the game is not over”) can play freely, after a long search for a club in the NBA, the point guard announced his return to the LA Lakers on Friday. But just like in the World Cup qualifiers in July, when they could win against Poland in Bremen, the hosts struggled.
There is a lack of momentum on offense, and the opponent initially cannot use this in the lower level game. Among other things, the Poles dropped everything from the line of three. The duel is tough and there is less support than before from the ratings, where few seats are still empty (12,913 spectators).
Ex-Captain Benzing was surprised in the hall
Against Poland, who beat the Slovenian champions in a thrilling match with NBA star Luka Doncic in the quarter-finals (90: 87), but went down to France in the quarter-finals (54: 95), things only got a little better in the last minute. of the first half. A running 15:2 cushion.
Robin Benzing, the longtime DBB captain, supported the team in a surprising hall after being removed from the team. “I think the boys are happy. There’s almost tears in my eyes,” Benzing said Sports Magenta – And more saw no tidbit.
Poland hit three suddenly, the German team seemed a little mentally and unable to shift gears. 7:35 minutes before the end, Poland tied (59:59). During the hot season, a decisive increase in defense was achieved, Schröder set the path for the final victory with a few (36 / 38th).
The DBB selection crowns a strong competition
An unforgettable basketball season with 9 games ended for the German team on Sunday, six games were sold out. The team showed a strong preliminary round in Cologne, where they only lost to Slovenia, and went to Berlin as group runners-up.
There were victories over Montenegro in the round of 16 and Greece alongside NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in the quarter-finals before their golden dreams were dashed against the Spaniards. However, the DBB selection celebrated their greatest success since Nowitzki played his last game in the national series in the 2015 European Championship at the same venue.
SID
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