The German basketball players’ Olympic dream lives on. Cheered on by the missing NBA star Dennis Schröder, national coach Henrik Rödl’s team trembled into the semifinals at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Split. The selection of the German Basketball Federation also won their second group game against Russia on Thursday with 69:67 (32:35) and thus finished the preliminary round as the first in Group A. The best thrower of the German team was Center Johannes Voigtmann with 13 points.
This means that the semi-finals on Saturday will either be against hosts Croatia or outsiders Tunisia, who will meet at 8 p.m. In the other semifinals, Brazil and Mexico play against each other. Only the winner of the tournament will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
Before the game, there was still a lot of confusion about the starting position. On Wednesday everyone involved assumed that Germany would also suffice with a seven-point defeat, and Fiba had also published this on its website. On Thursday, the world association corrected its information a few hours before the start of the game. Only in the event of a defeat by up to six points would the German team advance to the semi-finals, it was now said.
[Wenn Sie aktuelle Nachrichten aus Berlin, Deutschland und der Welt live auf Ihr Handy haben wollen, empfehlen wir Ihnen unsere App, die Sie hier für Apple- und Android-Geräteherunterladen können]
Perhaps because of these discussions, the selection of the German Basketball Federation got off to a weak start against Russia, as it did against Mexico. Rödl had changed his starting line-up to two positions. Niels Giffey started for NBA pro Isaac Bonga, who had to pass due to a thigh contusion. The second NBA professional Moritz Wagner moved into the top five for Danilo Barthel.
But like against Mexico, the German game lacked rhythm after the turbulent preparation. It was astonishing that Voigtmann, who was so strong at the Supercup in Hamburg and also in the trembling victory against Mexico, did not find himself in the game at first and made three quick ball losses and three fouls. The CSKA Moscow professional got stronger and stronger as the game progressed.
The Russians, who had completely disappointed in their defeat against Mexico on Wednesday, quickly moved away to ten points (17: 7). Rödl responded with a time-out and once again loudly got his players in the mood. With success: the German team now acted much more aggressively on the defensive. After the first quarter, Germany was only two points behind (15:17) and was thus on target.
[Mehr guten Sport aus lokaler Sicht finden Sie – wie auch Politik und Kultur – in unseren Leute-Newslettern aus den zwölf Berliner Bezirken. Hier kostenlos zu bestellen: leute.tagesspiegel.de]
Cheered on by Schröder in the stands and driven by Wagner and the controversial Joshiko Saibou on the floor, the German team has now increased further and took the lead in the second quarter. At the break, Germany was still three points behind (32:35) – it was the feared nerve game.
Especially when the DBB selection lost the thread again in the middle of the third quarter. In this phase, there was simply too little of firmly scheduled top performers such as Lo, Barthel or Voigtmann. Russia moved away to ten points (51:41). But Germany struggled and cut back to three points by the final quarter (50:53).
Now it became a pure nerve game. Both teams made a lot of minor mistakes. Shortly before the end, Germany was just ahead. Russia’s only chance was to save itself in extra time and win big there. It got bizarre – with one point ahead eleven seconds before the end, Johannes Thiemann deliberately discarded two free throws, Russia could no longer equalize – the German team cheered. (dpa)
