Germany is world basketball champion for the first time and the United States is a disappointment

After surprisingly defeating the USA in the semi-finals, Germany also defeated the FIBA ​​World Cup finalists in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan. America’s favorite suffers another disappointment.

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While the German national football team is not doing what it should be, the national basketball team has achieved the greatest success in its history. Led by the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) Dennis Schroeder, the Germans were crowned world champions for the first time.

In the final match in Manila, Germany defeated Serbia with a score of 83:77, thus celebrating its second international title after the European Championship in 1993. Before that, coach Gordon Herbert’s team achieved a surprise victory over the United States in the semi-finals. The title favorite then lost in the third place match to Canada after extra time and, as in 2019, missed out on a World Cup medal.

The tournament’s outstanding player also shined in the final match. Schroeder, who will play for the Toronto Raptors from next season, scored 28 points and converted some shots at key moments. Germany’s success in beating the Serbs, led by legendary coach Svetislav Pesic, is also due to a strong defense, especially after the break. If it was still 47:47 at the end of the first half, the Germans fell back to twelve points in the third quarter and didn’t give up the lead anymore.

In the run-up to the tournaments in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan, a debate erupted in the United States over the title of world champion. That was after three-time sprint world champion Noah Lyles criticized the NBA for calling itself “world champions” after winning the title. So did the Denver Nuggets this year.

According to Lyles, they have no right to do so because it is a national league: “Champions of the world what? From the United States? I love the United States—sometimes—but that’s not the world.” Some NBA stars like Kevin Durant and Draymond Green were not happy with these statements.

The main argument was that the NBA champions were also the best team in the world and that the United States would dominate other nations at will. But now the record world champion has to realize for the second time in a row that the second guard is no longer enough to beat countries like Germany or Canada.

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