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Post by Caslav Klonimirovic on Sept 2, 2010 23:27:28 GMT -5
english.blic.rs/Sports/6850/Serbia-top-group-await-knockout-oppositionSerbia top group, await knockout oppositionD.N. / Blic online | 03. 09. 2010. - 00:02h | Serbia basketball national team have ended their group stage at the World Championship in Turkey topping Group A after Thursday’s win over Argentina 84:82 (20:22, 20:17, 18:15, 26:28). The White Eagles will now face the losing team in the tie between Brazil and Croatia in the final 16 phase. It was never going to be easy for Serbia against the much more experienced Argentina side, but our players made a handful of errors at the start, from poor passing to missing open shots. With Argentina hitting three-pointers on three consecutive occasions, it enabled them to take the initial convincing lead 11-0, which was followed by a 20-7 partial result, although Serbia head coach Dusan Ivkovic decided to bring out Teodosic, Bjelica and Perovic in the meantime and introduced Markovic, Keselj and Krstic. However, a period of fine play from the South Americans, who dominated despite the fact their finest player Luis Scola was neglected for long periods, did not luckily last long. The Serbian trio who entered the play became crucial in the team’s quick response that balanced the run of play once again. Serbia ended the first period with a 13-2 run, which sent a powerful message to the Argentine players. Instead on relying on quick solutions predominantly from Scola, Sergio Hernandez’s team slowed the pace of the game down and resorted to a more patient approach. As Serbia were still struggling with shot precision, Argentina’s lead did not melt as quick as it could have, after which Scola had three exceptional moves which proved why he was the leading scorer of the World Championship so far. However, when Teodosic returned to play, Serbia did just that – catch up with Argentina. Teodosic led the team from trailing 8 points to a 31-30 lead midway through the second period. Argentina were caught off-guard when Paunic came on to the court for Serbia, with a sole task to tame the dangerous Delfino, and his impact was more then evident as Delfino managed one missed shot and one turnover while Paunic man-marked him. Krstic, Perovic and Veličkovic managed with their fine defending to prevent the Argentina guards from feeding Scola as often as they would have liked, and as Teodosic was still making substantial impact, Serbia took a four-point lead. And although the team missed as many as five opportunities to increase the lead, Cequeira’s unsportsmanlike foul enabled Serbia to come to a 58-53 lead in the dying moments of the third period. Dusan Ivkovic’s men played well enough at the start of the final period to force their opposition into a series of errors, while Savanovic contributed with a three-pointer to make it 65-56 for Serbia. With Teodosic on the bench, Argentina managed to draw nearer to reduce the lead to only three points. Quinteros’ three-pointer a minute and a half before the final buzzer meant the score was levelled. Krstic netted a basket, after which Scola responded with points from a free-throw, but Serbia finished off their rivals with a well-worked move when Savanovic added a final three-pointer. In the remaining 18 seconds, there were fouls and free-throws in quick succession, as Serbia’s slim lead proved too much for Argentina and our team held on to an all-important win.
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Post by Caslav Klonimirovic on Sept 2, 2010 23:41:08 GMT -5
Another great display by Serbia against a highly rated Argentina ... Argentina dominated early on I think they may have even been ahead by almost 20 points... but I always had the feeling that Serbia had a solid game plan and would do alright. For Argentina, Skola was just magic inside on 31 points for the game. Not that our forwards were marking him too bad though because a lot of his shots were being pulled out of his arse as well. Apart from a few breaks on turnovers from Serbia, Argentina were not hardly getting any clear shots. Serbia just looked really solid with plenty of guys willing to stand up. We may not have the individual superstars of the past but the players we have are very very solid with good attitudes and can play a team game. Savanovic stepped up in this game but I know we have guys that could have done just as well in his position... Macvan hasn't even been given a chance at this tournament but I think he could have done the same thing as Savanovic if he had the chance. Only real worry is the real young guys like Markovic, Paunic, Tepic made some bad turnovers but even Teo had a couple as well. Otherwise the boys seemed to play with the same consistency/tempo for most of the game... they're looking really good.
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Post by Caslav Klonimirovic on Sept 2, 2010 23:44:22 GMT -5
ca.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idCATRE68160S20100902Serbia to meet Croatia in world basketball tournamentThu Sep 2, 2010 5:37pm EDT Print This Article | Single Page [-] Text [+] ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The World Championship first knockout round is poised to produce a pair of classics after Serbia beat Argentina 84-82 in an enthralling Group A match on Thursday to set up a meeting with Balkan neighbors Croatia. There will also be no love lost when the Argentines clash in the last 16 with traditional rivals Brazil, who finished ahead of the Croats in Group B after beating them 92-74. The United States made it five wins in a row in the same group with a 92-57 drubbing of Tunisia and should have an equally straightforward task against Angola. Serbia forward Dusko Savanovic was the team's trump card against Argentina, coming off the bench to score 19 points including a crucial three-pointer with 18 seconds left. Playmaker Milos Teodosic added 16 and four assists and captain Nenad Krstic had 18 and eight rebounds, the trio doing enough to outmuscle Argentina's unstoppable center Luis Scola who finished with a game-high 32 points and seven rebounds. "We have beaten one of the world's top teams and this victory has given us a tremendous confidence boost ahead of the knockout rounds," Savanovic said. Croatia, devoid of a podium finish since winning the 1995 European Championship bronze medal, were swept aside by a fast-flowing Brazilian team. Marcelo Machado led the winners with 18 points and fellow guard Leandro Barbosa added 17 as the Brazilians nailed an impressive tally of 10 three-pointers from 19 attempts. Holders Spain take on Greece after 19 points apiece from center Fran Vasquez and guard Rudy Fernandez steered them to an 89-67 rout of Canada while hosts Turkey, 87-40 winners over China, play France for a berth in the quarter-finals. Continued...
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Post by Caslav Klonimirovic on Sept 3, 2010 0:33:55 GMT -5
I feel confident that Serbia can run away with a victory against Croatia. Croatia's players are lacking confidence going by the comments of their players in the media - and confidence and form is a huge thing in basketball I think. It's first versus fourth, really in a way it's Serbia's game to loose but it's great that that vibe is not coming from the Serbian camp at all. Serbia is not an easy team to shake and I don't think we have any major weaknesses to expose. Croatia I'm sure will still find motivation... because it's Serbia and because defeating Serbia would surely redeem their entire tournament. I'm still just feeling confident about Serbia winning this one since I really think Croatia will have to play well above themselves to have a chance.
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Kralj Vatra
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Post by Kralj Vatra on Sept 3, 2010 0:52:13 GMT -5
i am afraid of the Croats. They are physical team, and know how to make Serbs lose their mind. They know the Serb psyche and can play with it easily. On the other hand, same arguments hold for the Serbian team. They know Croats too well.
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Post by Caslav Klonimirovic on Sept 3, 2010 2:04:59 GMT -5
i am afraid of the Croats. They are physical team, and know how to make Serbs lose their mind. They know the Serb psyche and can play with it easily. On the other hand, same arguments hold for the Serbian team. They know Croats too well. This Serbian team is difficult to break down Piros. Argentina did not have too many open shots and actually relied on individual brilliance for a lot of its scoring. Serbia at times relies on Teo and Krstic for their individual ability but without them our defense at least stands maybe even stronger since I don't think Teo is the best defensively. Scola destroyed us under the basket... part of it had to do with his physical presense. Maybe we have our biggest weakness there but Croatia do not exactly have anyone the quality of Scola. What you'd need is two Scolas and Serbia would really be in trouble. I rarely feel confident in the Serbian mentality in sport but with these guys I honestly feel they have the best attitude you could ask for. Ever since the Euro silver they've continued to perform even in friendlies which usually Serbs never cared for. Ivkovic as an authoritarian has worked perfectly for a young bunch of guys and he doesn't accept not following orders. The boys blew their steam against Greece so it should be out of the system. There's no Gurovic there to do something crazy. I expect another solid performance and honestly a comfortable victory.
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Kralj Vatra
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Post by Kralj Vatra on Sept 3, 2010 2:51:49 GMT -5
I watched only the 2nd half, and i noticed in several occasions Scola either afraid against Krstic outside the racket, or just utilizing his technique to score inside the racket. I didnt notice any downright victory over Krstic or Perovic. The virtue of Scola (and Gasol) is that they are tall, but play like short. Anyways, defensively Serbia kicked certain Argentinian asses yesterday. At times, Argentinians made it to shoot only 1-2 seconds before the 20secs expiration period. And when they did, Serbs earned the defensive rebound.
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gavrilo
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Post by gavrilo on Sept 3, 2010 4:24:11 GMT -5
Throw statistics and coaching out of the window....this game is gonna be completely differant. Both teams will be pumped for this.
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Kralj Vatra
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Post by Kralj Vatra on Sept 3, 2010 5:34:42 GMT -5
my prediction : Croats will put all of their efforts, play hard and fast, Croats and Serbs will be really close in score, but hopefully Croats will get exhausted, and Serbs's persistence will make this tiny difference.
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gavrilo
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Post by gavrilo on Sept 3, 2010 16:42:50 GMT -5
Hope u are right bro
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Post by SKORIC on Sept 4, 2010 11:55:03 GMT -5
73 - 72 ;D
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Post by ulf on Sept 4, 2010 13:58:22 GMT -5
Yes 73-72, but poor performance by our team. We didn't control the game. We should play quicker in semi-final
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Post by Caslav Klonimirovic on Sept 5, 2010 0:09:27 GMT -5
Basketball: Serbia pip Croatia to reach quarters
Serbia made the quarterfinals at the world basketball championships after beating rivals Croatia 73-72. Photo / AP Serbia are the first team into the quarter-finals at the basketball world championships in Istanbul, Turkey, just overcoming fierce rivals Croatia 73-72 in a nail-biting second-round match at Sinan Erdem Arena.
With scores tied and one second left on the clock, Aleksander Rasic was fouled by Davur Kus and hit the first free-throw before deliberately missing the second, preventing Croatia from getting off a decent final shot.
Marko Popovic was superb for Croatia, finishing with 21 points, while NBA centre Nenad Krstic led the way for Serbia with 16 points and Rasic added 15.
The Serbians cruised into the second round after topping Group A with a 4-1 record, including a victory over Australia, while Croatia scraped in with a 2-3 clip that left them fourth in Group B.
But the underdog Croatians fought back from a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to tie the scores on two Popovic free-throws with five seconds left.
Rasic then received a fortunate call from the referees and duly hit the winning basket from the charity stripe.
After a feisty opening to the game, Croatia took a surprise 27-19 lead into the first break.
The heavily-favoured Serbians then responded in the second period, embarking on a 10-2 run to tie the scores, but Croatia managed to just keep themselves in front 36-34 at halftime.
The third quarter was then a real arm-wrestle, featuring no less than 11 lead changes as the teams traded baskets until five quick points to end the term gave the Serbians a 54-50 edge.
Serbia appeared to have the match in control when they took a 61-54 lead early in the final term, but had to withstand a furious comeback to set-up a quarter-final clash with either Spain or Greece, who are due on court shortly.
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Kralj Vatra
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Post by Kralj Vatra on Sept 5, 2010 0:21:02 GMT -5
poor performance indeed. at the end of the game it seemed like everyone knew it was Serbia who was supposed to win, hence they didn't play accordingly well. I also noticed the cool Croat fans and the nervous Serbian fans, smth not good.
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Post by Caslav Klonimirovic on Sept 5, 2010 0:23:33 GMT -5
Yes 73-72, but poor performance by our team. We didn't control the game. We should play quicker in semi-final All that matters is the victory. We could have played better but in hindsight the game panned out in a manner realistic as to what you could expect as a maximum counter effort from the croats. They actually do have individual talent not too far off Serbias although I don't think their depth is as good. Popovic said the only way they could win was to play frenetic and that's exactly what they did. Very aggressive defence even double teaming Teodosic out the game. With that style they were always going to fade out and have foul trouble towards the end which they did. There was no reason for us to risk changing our game plan. We didn't need to counteract them. Just stay cool the whole game and that's it. PS Fuck the Croats. Our worst neighbors in history! I know this is hurting them big time
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Post by andromeda on Sept 5, 2010 2:04:17 GMT -5
Honestly I just heard about it looking at this thread. lol. I'm sure Croatians will manage , somehow. Sounded like a pretty intense game. I find sports fairly boring these days. PS: Braco istocna , niste ni vi bili idealni susjedi
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Post by ulf on Sept 5, 2010 18:36:22 GMT -5
ok, so our next opponent is Spain. It will be a tough game for us surely. Spain without Gasol doesn't perform so good, so that's our chance, but we must play better offensive game then last match.
PS: Asking moderators to delete non-basketball discussion or whatever you call it
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Post by Pavel Chernev on Sept 6, 2010 1:31:19 GMT -5
PS f**k the Croats. Our worst neighbors in history! I know this is hurting them big time " i... ostala je jos jedna sekunda do kraja... ne mozemo nista napraviti za jednu sekundu, to mogu samo srbi. dame i gospodo, prokletstvo se nastavlja... "
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Kralj Vatra
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Post by Kralj Vatra on Sept 6, 2010 2:37:38 GMT -5
You guys honestly had to made a goddamn sports thread about Jasenovac? Jesus Christ, start another thread. if you are looking for this cleanness and consistency regarding threads/posts/content, then you definitely should try and find some other forum. Any attempts to improve the quality of these forums, failed, all, one by one.
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Kralj Vatra
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Post by Kralj Vatra on Sept 6, 2010 3:43:10 GMT -5
now that i look again at the video (thanx to my Bulgarian friend Pavel), i can see the GENIUS thought of Ivkovic behind this defensive foul 5 secs before the end by Tepic, right after Rasic' 2-pointer having put serbia 2 points ahead. Ivkovic's decision and timing, to do this, was IDEAL as to zeroing-out the chances of losing the game. (but putting in danger the victory itself, as well).
Croats had very little chances of scoring a 3-pointer during these 5 secs but if they did, Serbia was surely lost. So, Serbs decided to sacrifice the win by allowing those 2 points by free-throws that Marko Popovic would most probably score, (as he did indeed) to nullify the chances of Croatia winning even if that meant going to overtime, in which Croatia would be 100% defeated due to lack of depth and physical fatigue.
Ivkovic is a GENERAL, Vojvoda!!
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