DBB is amazed and has to learn a lot: Monster eats the German summer fairy tale

DBB is amazed and has to learn a lot
Monster eats the German summer fairy tale

By Seb Dumitru

The delicate medal dream has burst. Megastar Luka Dončić and European champion Slovenia will not give the German basketball players a chance in the Olympic quarter-finals. Henrik Rödl’s team can build on the successes of this summer despite being eliminated.

He wasn’t “on fire” like at his 48-point gala against Argentina. And not nearly flawlessly like against Japan in game two. Nevertheless, Slovenia’s talent of the century Luka Dončić dominated almost at will against Germany and led the small country from the Balkans into the Olympic semifinals when it played basketball for the first time. The DBB team has to travel home after the clear 70:94 defeat.

The 22-year-old from the Dallas Mavericks impressively showed that it doesn’t always have to be 30 points to completely put his stamp on a game. Dončić drew the strings in attack and much of the German attention, from the first jump ball to his last substitution just under four minutes before the end of the game. That had long been decided by then.

“They have one of the best players in the world – but he’s not alone. I think it’s impressive how they act as a team, how they share the ball. Everyone can shoot. And they defend very well. We were rarely able to run free and That’s why it was clear in the end, “stated national coach Henrik Rödl after the game. With 20 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists, Dončić barely missed the internationally rare triple double. Six of his eleven templates – several of them “no-look”, that is, served without looking – led to three of his teammates. That demoralizes. More than half of the 94 points went to Dončić as a shooter or preparer.

Clean your mouth, go on.

(Photo: AP)

The dynamic Slovenian attack could not be brought under control by Germany’s defense either. Aleksander Sekulić’s team put one run after the other on the floor, led by Zoran Dragić’s 27 points and numerous counter-attacks. The outsiders kept up for almost 15 minutes. Then the mixture of offensive efficiency (68 percent two, 43 percent three) and aggressive defense became too much.

A cornerstone, but not more

“They put us under pressure all over the field. That threw us out of our rhythm,” said winger Niels Giffey afterwards. And top scorer Maodo Lo (11 points) added: “It was a tough game. We let ourselves be thrown off the ground in the transition that allowed our opponents many baskets. That really set us back in the end, we are not allowed to make mistakes like that allow against such a good team as Slovenia. “

No professional athlete goes to an international tournament “just to be there”. This also applies to German basketball players – even if the often unique experience of being allowed to represent your country at the Olympic Games should certainly alleviate the pain of being eliminated. Just like the look at the path of the DBB in the past weeks and months: from PR fiasco to last-minute cancellations and seemingly hopeless sporting situations, almost every adversity was there.

Rödl and his team made more than the best of it, established a fighter identity and thus laid the foundation for a successful future. The last time he took part in an Olympic quarter-finals, Rödl was still in the squad himself: 29 years ago Germany finished seventh, in Barcelona 1992. “Congratulations to Slovenia, really impressive. But that doesn’t take away anything from our summer. It was special, my team is special, the team spirit is special. It is a pleasure to coach this team, it is a privilege to be here. The Olympic participation with the quarter-finals is a huge success. I am grateful that everything accompanies it I enjoyed every second here. “

Rödl’s contract expires at the end of this tournament. He has developed the chance to attack at the EM 2022 in his own country and maybe even at the World Cup 2023 – then ideally with Germany in the best line-up. Who knows what the basis of this team, reinforced by the NBA talents Dennis Schröder, Daniel Theis, Maxi Kleber, Isaiah Hartenstein and Franz Wagner, would be able to do.

Does Luka lose one day?

DBB President Ingo Weiss is optimistic: “Our boys can go out of this basketball summer with their heads held high. They have shown great achievements and a lot of passion. This is how a national basketball team has to perform. Always believe in yourself, never give up, everyone fights for everyone. That gives me a lot of confidence, especially with regard to EuroBasket 2022 in Germany. With such an attitude and motivation and with thousands of fans on site, a lot is possible. Basketball Germany can be proud of this friendly, fighting team and look forward to future games. “

If this tournament has shown one thing, it is that individual top basketball players are more important than ever. As in the NBA, at Dirk Nowitzki’s ex-club, Dončić has developed into a superstar internationally in no time at all. From the Mavericks he formed a safe playoff team and was voted into the “All-NBA First Team” twice in a row – the five best players of a season. The contract extension (five years, 202 million US dollars) in Dallas after the Olympics is a purely formality.

First in scoring, second in rebounds, second in assists … Slovenia is still unbeaten in 17 appearances in the national jersey thanks to the leadership qualities of “Luka Magic”, as Dončić is called thanks to his spectacular style of play. The youngster celebrates basketball, his personality – loud, happy to play, self-confident, informal – has become the identity of this troupe.

After the sensational Euro Championship 2017, Olympic precious metal is to follow in Tokyo. It would be the first medal win at the premiere since Croatia and Lithuania in 1992. Dončić and Slovenia will face France on Thursday, who thanks to their own NBA cracks Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier and Nic Batum beat Italy 84:75 in a hard-fought game . In the second semi-final, the favored Americans around megastar Kevin Durant will face Australia after their 95-81 win against Spain.

.