FIBA 2023 Now Down to Final Eight!!!

After 2 rounds of group skirmishes in the FIBA World Cup 2023, we are now down to the last 8. From Manila, we have Italy, Serbia, Lithuania and the USA moving to the knockout round. From co-host Okinawa, we have Germany and Slovenia moving up. And from our third co-host Jakarta, qualifying for the knockout rounds are Canada and Latvia. Conspicuously absent in the final 8 are: the FIBA defending champion and top-ranked Spain, ousted by Canada in the 2nd round of skirmishes; former 3rd placer France, bowing out in the very first round; and another early favorite to reach deep in the knockout rounds, the FIBA’s 3rd-ranked and NBA-loaded Australia, bumped off in the 2nd round by Slovenia.

Of the last 8 teams competing, 6 are from Europe, namely: Italy, Serbia, Lithuania, Germany, Slovenia and Latvia; while 2 teams from North America – the USA and Canada – remain in the race. South America, Africa and Asia/Oceania are not represented in the final 8. Of my final 8 prediction, Spain and Australia were replaced by Latvia and Germany.

What were the big take-aways from the initial 2 rounds of action in Manila, Okinawa and Jakarta?

My biggest take-away from the 2 rounds would have to be the evident dominance of Euro-ball over other permutations, particularly that coming from powerhouse North America, in the global basketball community. Last Sunday, September 3, we witnessed 2 games which made me conclude that Euro-Ball is far more superior than the American style of basketball.

Lithuania staved off a determined rally by Team USA to win 110-104 despite Team USA being bannered by 12 NBA stars. Team USA dug themselves into a huge hole, embarrassing themselves by trailing 31 to 12 in the first quarter; before slowly cutting down the lead. Still, that lead was just too big for them to overcome. In the end, they would lose by only 6.

In the last game of the 2nd round of competition, Canada came from behind to nip Spain 88-85, after trailing behind since the opening minutes. Canada stayed close, and was finally able to take the lead with just 2 minutes left to play. Canada, with 10 NBA players led by All-Star guard Shai Gilgeaous Alexander (SGA), found the Spanish challenge hard to crack. Talent-wise, Canada was clearly far superior, but what talent the Spaniards didn’t have, they more than made up with great team chemistry on both the offense and defense.

American basketball – as highlighted in the NBA – rely more on the individual talent and athleticism of the players. In general, defense is also mostly played one-on-one. In Europe, teams rely more on collective play, particularly in defense. Because European players are not endowed with exceptional leaping ability, they emphasize help-defense, proper positioning, play the zone defense more often, and are more team-oriented.

Luka Doncic, who incidentally is the hottest star to play in this year’s World Cup, once said: “The game in Europe is way harder than the game in the NBA.” He acknowledged that there is more talent in the NBA, but that scoring will be more difficult in the Euro Leagues because of the team-oriented defense.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic, both 2-time MVP awardees, have expressed similar views, also pointing out that Euro-ball is more team-oriented, with more emphasis on positional awareness and high IQ play.

And this was highlighted in the Lithuania – USA game where the talent-laden, All-NBA Team USA lost to a Lithuanian squad with only 2 NBA players, veteran center Jonas Valanciunas and incoming rookie Azoulas Tubelis . The underdog Lithuanians stuck to the basics of team defense, refused to be intimidated, and actually dished out their own brand of intimidation by showing more physicality at the get-go. Team USA daydreamed themselves through an entire first quarter, falling behind by a whopping 19 points at the buzzer. This ballooned to 21 in the 2nd quarter, when the Lithuanians continued to rain 3s from all corners, before the Americans – led by Anthony Edwards – woke up from their lethargic state.

Hence, for countries that do not have the height or size advantage, it is clear that the basketball culture developed in Europe will be more suited for them. For countries like the Philippines, it will do us good to look at the Euro system rather than continue to emulate the NBA style of play. Which is actually impossible for us to copy, in the first place.

But we digress.

We are now down to the final 8. It will be a knockout affair where winners move up, while losers pack their bags. It will be FIBA’s 8th-ranked Lithuania against 6th-ranked Serbia; 2nd-ranked USA vs 10th-ranked Italy; 7th-ranked Slovenia vs 15th-ranked Canada; and 11th-ranked Germany vs 29th-ranked Latvia. The marquee match-ups here would be the Lithuania – Serbia and the USA – Italy face-offs.

Basketball fans will have a heyday with European stars headed by Luka Doncic, Denis Shroder and Bogdan Bogdanovich leading the pack. Team USA remain as the darlings of the crowd, with Austin Reaves in particular coming out as the top catch. Of the original 55 NBA players who saw action in this World Cup, 32 remain with the 8 surviving teams.

Team USA’s loss to Lithuania does not affect their chances for the crown, as they had already gained a seat to the next round. From hereon, teams will be judged according to the results of their games. You win, you advance. You lose, you pack your bags.

It will be interesting to see how Team USA reacts to that loss; having seen their lack of physicality, their lack of size, and their notorious slow start. It will be nice to see the match-ups, and how Euro teams fare against both the US and Canada. It will be good to learn lessons on contemporary basketball. Finally, it is a most welcome and proud event, hosting FIBA 2023.

See you at the Arena, guys. Ang hindi magpunta, pangit!!! 🙂

Cover photo courtesy of The Manila Times. Other pics courtesy of Silver Screen and Roll, Inquirer.net, Olympics.com, BasketNews.com, PhilStar and FIBA.Basketball. For a closer look, just click on the pics.