When Puerto Rico (1-4) and the Ivory Coast (0-5) faced off in an all-important final pool play game, each team had a goal in mind.

Discuss Puerto Rico’s loss to the Ivory Coast in our World Championships forum)

Both teams had their own destinies in their hands as the match would determine which team would move on to the next round. The result not only affected Puerto Rico and the Ivory Coast, but also Team China (1-4).

If Puerto Rico won, they would have two victories, and automatically move on to the next round of the World Championships.

Ivory Coast needed to win by 12 points or more to qualify for the second round.

The Ivory Coast ended up upsetting Puerto Rico 88-79 for their first win at the FIBA World Championship.

Since the Ivory Coast won by less than 12 points, and Puerto Rico lost, China will move on to Istanbul, regardless of the outcome and score in their game against hosts Turkey.

From FIBA.com: The Ivorians led 88-76 on Mohamed Kone’s dunk in the last minute but David Huertas hit a three-pointer in the dying seconds to shatter their hopes. Effectively, that basket booked China’s trip to Istanbul.

“We had to win by 12 points. We tried our best to win the game by that margin. It didn’t happen. This tournament as a whole was a great experience for us and we will try to use it to move forward.” said Mohmed Kone, center for the Ivory Coast.

Behind Angolan superstar Olimpio Cipriano‘s 30 points, Angola continued Germany‘s disappointing tournament play by sending the Germans to their third loss in four games.

With the loss, it means that Germany will not advance to the second round.

(Discuss Angola’s defeat of Germany in our World Championships forum)

The entire game was closely contested.

After a tied frst quarter, the two teams were evenly-matched for most of the game.

Angola took a 10 point lead a couple time during the third quarter, but wasn’t able to maintain it as the Germans turned it around in the fourth; taking their own double-digit lead 74-64 with just under 4 minutes to go before the Angolans went on a late-game 14-4 rally.

Cipriano tied the game at 78 with two free throws with 16 seconds to go. Heinko Schaffartzik missed a layup at the end of regulation.

Joaquim Gomes hit two jumpers to get the African powerhouse off to a great start in the overtime, taking a lead they would never relinquish in the extra period.

After a three by Philipp Schweitheim brought the Germans to within two with 30 seconds to go, Cipriano draw a foul and hit both free-throws to keep the Angolans at a safe distance 89-85 with 10 seconds remaining.

Angola was led by Cipriano’s efficient 30 points. Cipriano shot 7-10 from two, 4-6 from three, and hit 4-5 from free-throws.

Gomes had 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, Miguel Lutonda had 13 points, and Eduardo Mingas 10 points for the winners.

Without Dirk Nowitzki, who withdrew from the World Championships, Germany was led by Jan Jagla’s 23 points, Schaffartzik had 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Tim Ohlbrecht also contributed 17 points for Team Germany.

After the win, Angola improves to an all important 2-2 record in group A.

Spain has been knocked down again, this time being upset by Lithuania 76-73, giving up a 18-point second half lead over the basketball-crazy Baltic country.

(Discuss the Spain vs. Lithuania game in our World Championships forum)

After Spain scored the first four points of the fourth quarter, Lithuania used a 23-5 run the rest of the way to shock Spain into their second pool play loss.

Lithuania’s versatile power forward Linas Kleiza scored the final four points in the final 40 seconds to push his country to the three-point win.

Kleiza, a former NBA player, finished with 17 points to lead Lithuania. Martynus Pocius and Jonas Maciulis both put up 13 points. Spain was led by Marc Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro who each scored 18 points each, while Rudy Fernandez had 13 points.

The game was played Tuesday in Izmir, Turkey.

With this loss, and their loss to France in their first game, Spain falls to 1-2. With the win, Lithuania is 3-0 in their group and can finish at the top of  Group D at the basketball world championship if they defeat the other undefeated team in their group, France.

Lithuania and France will play tomorrow for the top place in group D.

Discuss the game in the Basketball Championships forum.

The game everyone has been eagerly anticipating in Group C will be a must-see as Turkey take on rivals and neighbours Greece on Tuesday night.

(Find out where to watch the Greece-Turkey game live or discuss in our forum!)

The two teams enter the contest with perfect records (2-0) and neither side will settle for anything less than a win. The result of this game is likely to have a huge bearing on the pool’s final standings.

Greece head coach Jonas Kazlauskas tried to downplay the rivalry and the importance of the derby to put the focus back where he felt it belongs – on the fixture being just one of five in his team’s march to the next round.

“I understand the importance of the games between Greece and Turkey. It is like the games we had between Lithuania and Russia,” he said. “But at the same time it’s one game.”

Kazlauskas’s words though will fall on deaf ears among the Turkish supporters.

Turkey have all the motivation in the world for this game. Of course they are playing at home and want to give their fans something to cheer about, but they would like to get a measure of revenge over the Greeks for last summer’s EuroBasket quarter-final defeat.

Erden Arslan sent that game to overtime with a lay-up at the end of regulation but then missed a potential game-winning three-pointer in the dying seconds.

Greece will get a huge lift with the return to action of team captain Antonios Fotsis and Sofoklis Schortsanitis, who missed the first two games through suspensions.

Efstratios Perperoglou sat out Monday’s practice because of an infection but is expected to recover and play.

Before the derby, Puerto Rico will approach their game against China as a must-win situation following tough defeats against Russia and Greece over the weekend.

“We have to make sure we beat China,” said guard JJ Barea who has had to carry the scoring load, especially after backcourt mate Carlos Arroyo went down with an injury.

“After that we have to come out and play against Turkey, do our best and see what happens. We have to take care of the Ivory Coast next time. If we win two games and China lose the rest of theirs, we will move on to the next round. That is what we are looking for.”

Arroyo has internal bleeding in his left quadriceps. There is no exact timetable as to when he can be expected back.

China will have to do a better job of closing out the game against Manolo Cintron’s side than they did against Ivory Coast. Leading 66-51 to start the fourth quarter, they ended up winning by a margin of 83-73 which was not very convincing.

Tuesday’s action will begin with Russia taking on Ivory Coast as they look to bounce back from their 65-56 defeat against Turkey.

The game will feature the return of the teams’ respective key players – Viktor Khryapa for the Russians and Pape-Philippe Amagou for the Ivorians.

“Viktor will play on Tuesday,” Russia head coach David Blatt said on Sunday. “We need him for the last three games to make sure we get through to the next round.”

The versatile forward missed the tournament’s first three games because of an injury to his left foot.

Amagou, meanwhile, has recovered from a sprained big toe and will regain his rightful place in his team’s starting backcourt, an area which suffered greatly in his absence.

“We were mentally ready but we did not perform well in the first two games. We lost one of our best players (Amagou) and then our other point guard (Issife Soumahoro) got injured against Turkey,” said head coach Randoald Dessarzin.

Discuss the World Championships or go to FIBA and read the original article at FIBA.com.

The United States continued undefeated but came across a tough Brazilian squad in their third game, squeaking by Brazil 70-68 on Monday.

(Discuss Team USA’s close win over Brazil in our forum)

The Brazilians came up short when Leandro Barbosa’s shot was out at the buzzer.

Kevin Durant led the United States with 27 points (and 10 rebounds), Chauncey Billups put up 15, and Derrick Rose 11 points for the Americans.

After the Americans trailed most of the first 2 1/2 quarters, Lamar Odom’s(notes) dunk with 7:14 left put them ahead 64-62. But they couldn’t build on the lead during a tense final few minutes, and Brazil had two chances to send the game to overtime.

Other than late in the game and in a small spurt during the third quarter, Brazil led the United States throughout the majority of the game.

And with 3.5 seconds remaining, Marcelo Huertas had a chance to tie the game after being fouled. Unfortunately for Brazil, the 6-3 guard missed the first free throw and with Brazil down two, was forced to intentionally miss the second. The miss set up Barbosa’s miss at the buzzer.

Without their big men Nene, Anderson Varejao, Brazil was led by Marcus Vinicius scored 16, Barbosa finished with 14 points and Tiago Splitter, who will join the San Antonio Spurs this season, added 13 points and 10 rebounds. Lamar Odom had 8 points and 8 rebounds.

Puerto Rico star Carlos Arroyo will not play against Greece on Sunday in Ankara after suffering an injury on Saturday.

(Discuss the World Championships of Basketballin our forum)

Arroyo took a knee from Andrey Vorontsevich in the second half of Puerto Rico’s 75-66 defeat against Russia. His status is day-to-day.

“Carlos is really hurt. He has a contusion in his quadriceps, very close to his left hip,” said Puerto Rico head coach Manolo Cintron.

“He is undergoing physical treatment and taking medication to make the swelling go down.”

The Puerto Rican team did not practice on Sunday ahead of their game against Greece.

Read the original article at FIBA.com.

Led by Mickael Gelabale’s 16 points and great free throw shooting late in the game, France upset Spain, 72-66 in the teams’ opening game at the Basketball World Championship.

France converted 10 of its last 12 free throws to seal the win.

(Discuss the France-Spain game in our World Championships of Basketball forum)

“They are the best in the world. It was great to play Spain first as we had to jump straight into the tournament. It has given us great confidence,” said French player Nicolas Batum.

Early on, Spain doubled-up France in the first quarter 19-8, and built a 12-point lead in the second quarter before Les Bleus used a 9-0 run to tie the game at 25 – which included a spectacular high-flying dunk by the Portland Trailblazer’s Batum.

Spain was without Pau Gasol and France was without Tony Parker, both stars bowed out of the tournament early on. France was led by Gelabale, who hit two threes on his way to 16 points, Batum added 14 points and Andrew Albicy scored 13 of his own. Boris Diaw passed out 5 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds. Gelabale also added six rebounds for the winners.

Juan Carlos Navarro led Spain with 17 points. Rudy Fernandez had 13 points but fouled out of the game after assessing a technical foul. Discuss/comment on the France vs. Spain match in our forum.

David Andersen sank two free throws Saturday to give Australia a come-from-behind 76-75 victory over Jordan in its opening match at the basketball world championship.

(Discuss the Australia-Jordan match in our World Championships forum)

Andersen finished with 22 points and center Alex Maric led Australia with 23, while forward Zaid Abbas led Jordan with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Rasheim Wright added 16 points for Jordan but missed a layup in the final seconds that could have given his team a surprise win. Jordan could not claim the rebound, and Australia held on to win a game in which it trailed for three quarters.

“We were very lucky to escape with a win,” Australia coach Brett Brown said. “We recognize we were fortunate to claw back and snatch a win.”

Jordan did not practice or play a game for eight months after the country’s Olympic committee suspended the basketball federation for “administrative and financial violations” and the team did not get together again until shortly before the championship.

“It was a disaster,” Jordan coach Mario Palma said. “We are trying to recover from this disaster, but we are not in the shape we are supposed to be. Most of my players have not played an official game for eight months.

“Otherwise, maybe we could have beaten Australia today, we lost a big opportunity. We can play hard against any team. Maybe we can’t beat them all but we can give them tough games. We can compete against any team here,” Palma said.

Maric’s second-attempt layup with the last shot of the third quarter gave Australia its first lead of the game at 56-55. Maric then scored his team’s next six points to keep the Boomers afloat. Maric and Andersen added nine rebounds each.

“They really exposed us inside in the second half,” said Jordan’s guard Osama Daghles, who had nine assists and seven points. “But we gave it away.”

Jordan’s biggest lead was 11 points and Daghles was still shaking his head in disbelief long after the game. He had a turnover that produced Matt Nielsen’s layup that put Australia within one and then missed a layup with 13 seconds left. Jordan fouled and Andersen sank the two free throws that won the game.

“Jordan had a great game,” Maric said. “We had to play catch-up all the time. They did the basic things very well.”

Coach Brown said Australia’s young players “played young, but we are looking forward to playing Argentina tomorrow.”

Jordan plays Serbia in Group A on Sunday.

Are you looking to watch France, Spain, Brazil, and Iran in the first day of World Championships?

Contenders Argentina, Germany and hosts Turkey will also be playing today.

Follow the group play in Interbasket’s World Championships of Basketball

forum where we’ve created individual game threads so you find out where to watch a particular game, comment on the game, and follow along with French fans, Spanish fans, Iranians, Brazilians and diehard basketball fans from around the globe.  Check out the game threads below:

Check out our other threads: Watch Puerto Rico, Lebanon, USA in the Basketball World Championships and Watch Greece vs. China, Lithuania, Slovenia in World Championships.

Are you looking to watch Lebanon vs. Canada or Russia vs Puerto Rico in the first day of World Championships’ group play?

Follow all the pool play matches in Interbasket’s World Championships of Basketball forum where we’ve created game-specific threads so you can follow your favorite national teams,

find out where to watch the game online, comment, and cheer along with Puerto Ricans, Angolans, Lebanese and other diehard basketball fans from abroad.  Check out the individual game threads below:

* Looking for Greece-China and the earlier matches – go here: Watch Greece-China Live in World Championships

Suspensions have been announced by FIBA after the Greece and Serbia fight in a preparation game leading up to tomorrow’s World Championships.

The main focus was on Serbian center Nenad Krstic, who threw a chair that drew blood of a Greek player. The 7-0 center was suspended the first three games and guard Miloš Teodosić for the first two. Krstic and Teodosić are two of Serbia’s key players.

Teodosic will sit out against African Champions Angola and their second game vs. Germany. Krstic will sit an additional game, when Serbia takes on Asian powerhouse Jordan.

Krstic was not surprised: “We expected something like this. Of course I am disappointed. Now, it’s behind us and I don’t want to talk about it too much,” Krstic said. “We have to look ahead and think about the upcoming games.”

Even without the two,  Serbia will be the favorites against Angola and Jordan.

On the Greek side, the suspensions means much more as their first two opponents are considered more formidable adversaries.

Forward Antonis Fotsis and center Sofoklis Schortsanitis will each miss Greece’s first two games. Fotsis and Schortsanitis will also be sitting on the bench against China on Saturday and Sunday’s game against Puerto Rico in Group C.

“This is the decision. We can’t change it,” Fotsis said. “It was very difficult not to punish us. We accept this punishment.”

Are you looking to watch Greece take on China, or Lithuania vs. New Zealand in the first day of World Championships?

Follow all the group play matches in Interbasket’s World Championships of Basketball forum where we’ve created individual game threads so you find out where to watch the game, comment on the game, and follow along with Greek, Chinese, and basketball fans from around the world.  Check out the individual game threads below:

A day before the 2010 World Basketball Championships are set to commence, International Basketball Network, or Interbasket.net, turns seven years old today.

(Click for more info about Interbasket’s history)

I can’t believe that it’s been seven years.  We started off very modestly, as many of you know, a Yahoo Group dedicated to Arvydas Sabonis that grew and grew and grew because of the dedicated fans to the 7-3 center that will be inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame next month. The fanatical group kept growing until it ultimately morphed into the site you are reading now.

From humble beginnings as a Yahoo Group to a basketball forum, a basketball news site, Facebook Page, and Twitter!

Of course, we’d love to thank all the great members and moderators that have stuck with us and have passed through our login page over the last seven years as we continue to grow as one of the best international basketball news sites and forum.  Go ahead, wish Interbasket a Happy Birthday!

Rajon Rondo has scaled the heights with the Boston Celtics but he won’t do the same with Team USA this summer in Istanbul after deciding to withdraw from the squad.

(Discuss the World Championships in our World Championships Forum)

The electric point guard, an NBA champion in the 2007-08 campaign, struggled in a win against Lithuania over the weekend and didn’t play in his side’s 86-85 win over Spain on Sunday.

He pulled out of the squad following the Americans’ arrival in Athens, where the side will take on Greece in a friendly on Wednesday.

“Rajon came to us and said he was going to withdraw from the team, that he had some family matters to attend to and some things to take care of before the NBA season,” USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said. “He did an outstanding job during our training, we appreciate the effort and commitment he made to our program and he completely has our support.”

Before making his decision, Rondo admitted he may not make the squad.

“I think I’m on the bubble,’’ he said to ESPN.com. “Just looking at the obvious — I got a DNP (did not play) last game. That pretty much speaks for itself.”

Rondo did not sound bitter.

“It’s what’s best for the country,” he said. “We knew coming in it was still tryouts until we make the team that goes to Turkey.’’

Rondo’s exit means the USA has their final squad, with Derrick Rose and Chauncey Billups now expected to get the majority of minutes at point guard.

Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay, Lamar Odom, Danny Granger, Kevin Love, Tyson Chandler and Andre Iguodala are also in the squad.

Read the original article at FIBA.com.