In the final four of the World Cup, the USA clinched victory against Germany with a score of 113-111.
Andreas Obst Shines for Germany
Andreas Obst was the standout player for Germany, scoring a game-high 24 points.
In this World Cup, the USA won’t be taking home the gold medal.
For the second consecutive time in FIBA’s biggest tournament, it seems there won’t be any accolade for the Americans.
Instead, Germany is on the cusp of international glory. Andreas Obst scored 24 points, Franz Wagner added 22, and Germany outscored any team in the tournament, including the USA basketball team, in Friday night’s World Cup semifinal with a final score of 113-111.
American coach Steve Kerr said that this team is capable of winning the championship. “And we haven’t done that yet.”
No, it didn’t happen, and now questions will once again arise. USA Basketball is talking about how the succession of top international teams has narrowed the gap between Americans and the rest of the world. While the USA has won the last four Olympic titles, they are now without a gold in two consecutive World Cups.
“Terrifying,” said American guard and captain Jalen Brunson. “Plain and simple.”
Germany, the tournament’s 7-0 team, will face Serbia in the World Cup final on Sunday (8:40 am EDT). Serbia reached the final of the last three tournaments after beating Canada in the first semifinal.
They had previously lost to the USA 129-92 in the 2014 championship game.
Canada will face Puerto Rico for third place on Sunday (4:40 am EDT).
Obst hit a crucial shot in the night, leaving Germany ahead by four with 1:15 to go, and nearly sealing the rally for the United States.
Germany had the upper hand for nearly 30 of the game’s 40 minutes, and there was no doubt about who was controlling most of the game.
Germany coach Gordon Herbert, in his first World Cup final after making it for the first time, said it’s a special group.
Our performance on the court, our unity, and our resilience in challenging moments were remarkable. We had players who stepped up and made crucial plays when it mattered most. It’s another step.”
The United States was down by as many as 10 in the middle of the fourth, almost erased the deficit, and got a point-blank chance in the final seconds. But the Americans never led, and with time running out, the Germans celebrated and embraced.
American guard Austin Reaves said, “We knew what we were coming to do, and that was to win.” “And we didn’t do that.”
Anthony Edwards scored 23 points for the US (5-2), who got 21 from Reaves, 17 from Mikel Bridges, and 15 from Brunson. The Americans shot 58%, but they let Germany shoot 58% as well, and that was ultimately their downfall.
“If you give up 113 points in a 40-minute game,”Then you won’t win many of them,” Reaves said.
USA Falls Short Against Germany in FIBA World Cup Semifinal
In this era when NBA players could be utilized for Olympic or World Cup tournaments, the previous highest score for the American men’s team in this round was 110.
And it was against Lithuania in 1992, when the USA Basketball team returned to competition after the loss to the unified Lithuania team in the preliminary round of the Barcelona Olympics. That loss didn’t dash American hopes of a gold medal. This one did.
“We never felt like we were unbeatable defensively at any point,” Kerr said.
Germany was entering matchups against the American men in the World Cup or Olympics on Sunday 0-6 all-time, typically getting blown out in those contests.
Not this time. Not this time at all. Once again, having a roster filled with all NBA players wasn’t enough for the United States in the World Cup.
In China in 2019, the Americans finished seventh, a completion that would technically be better – third or fourth would be technically better – but nothing will be a salve for USA Basketball other than gold beyond the summer.
Germany was different this time, turning what was a 35-24 deficit three months ago into the foundation for the difference this time, leading by 16 early in the second half of this one, then surviving a 99-91 win over the U.S. after an 18-0 run to close.
Once again, bravery was needed. It almost arrived. This time, Germany ended it. And when it was over, Reaves couldn’t help but see Schröder – his former teammate with the Los Angeles Lakers – reveling in a very big moment for German basketball.
The USA men’s basketball team faced a challenging situation in the FIBA World Cup semifinals against Germany, leading them to compete for the bronze medal against Canada in Sunday’s game.
Germany, fueled by the strength of NBA forwards Franz Wagner and Daniel Theis, reached its first Olympic or World Cup final by beating the U.S. 113-111 on Sunday in Manila (against Serbia) in its first fina
In the Dream Team era, this was Germany’s first win in nine meetings against the USA men, starting after 1992. The USA has now lost two games in a row in consecutive World Cups, and in those defeats, it broke the record for the most points ever scored in the Olympics or world games.
Disappointing Defeat for Team USA in FIBA World Cup Semifinal
Head coach Steve Kerr stated, “This team is capable of winning the championship, and we haven’t achieved it.” “In the past 30 years, this game has been globalized. It’s not 1991 anymore.”
Four years ago, he finished seventh, which was the program’s worst-ever tournament, and then he advanced again to win a fourth Olympic title in Tokyo.
On Sunday, for the first time in a major tournament since the 2004 Athens Olympics, the United States will play for a medal, facing Canada. The loss in Greece helped American men’s basketball get better.
In the recent surge, top American NBA players are not competing in the FIBA World Cup. Some international stars are also absent. Many players who intended to participate in the Olympics are using the summer to rest during the NBA season.
For the first time in the Dream Team era (since 1992), the USA roster is entirely made up of non-NBA players, and no one on it has any prior Olympic or international experience. (Except for the 1998 Worlds when there were players of this caliber on the original roster, but none made it to the final team due to the NBA lockout.)
Last Sunday, the USA had to face a 110-104 loss toIn the group stage against Lithuania, things took a surprising turn as Lithuania took a commanding lead of 31-12 after the first quarter. Lithuania continued to outscore the USA, with Anthony Edwards putting up an impressive performance, scoring a career-high of 35 points, including 14 successful three-pointers.
However, the United States managed to make a strong comeback, securing a victory against Italy in the quarterfinals.
The United States and Germany, meeting in their second world semifinal (and first since 2002), played close until the Germans broke a 60-59 halftime tie, taking advantage after the break to catch the USA sleeping.
Germany dealt a blow to the United States with a 35-24 win in the third quarter and secured an important lead with 10 points in the last 10 minutes of the semifinal.
Under the leadership of Anthony Edwards and Austin Reaves, Team USA made a late rally, but it was too little, too late.
Germany, known for producing Detlef Schrempf and Dirk Nowitzki, has more titles than anyone but never displayed the kind of consistent performance against European powers like Spain and Lithuania. He only qualified for one Olympics during Nowitzki’s career (2008) and never made the Olympics semifinals.
The USA came into the World Cup in the Philippines with a powerful team and high expectations of winning. However, after disappointing performances, the USA had to settle for an upset.
As expected, the semifinal match was tough. No team could establish control in the first two quarters, and at halftime, the USA held a slight 60-59 lead.
However, there was a shift in momentum in the third quarter, and Germany took advantage, catching the USA off guard after the break
Germany defeated the USA with a score of 35-24 in the third quarter and secured a crucial lead by 10 points in the last 10 minutes of the semifinal.
Led by Anthony Edwards and Austin Reaves, Team USA mounted a comeback in the final three minutes, closing the gap to 106-103, but they couldn’t complete the comeback.
Germany’s performance, characterized by determination, marked their place in the FIBA Basketball World Cup final with key plays from Dennis Schröder, Franz Wagner, and Daniel Theis, all NBA players.
The World Cup final against Serbia awaits, and the USA will have to contend for third place in the playoff game against Canada. Both games will be played on Sunday as they vie for a place in the playoffs for the third position.
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