SF: Australia vs Serbia

[Srle]

Its all about pacing yourself , playing best basketball when it matters, I never doubt that we would crash Australia in semi's , and I am pretty sure we didn't want to win that game against France

[CoachZ]

Oh come on. As if Serbia's 2-3 record and fourth place finish in the group phase were all part of some grand design. Serbia just wasn't as good in the group phase as were Australia and France.

I agree, it was not a grand design. The idea was to beat AUS in group and go for second place since France already lost to them and we could've been 2nd and achieve this same thing. When we lost to AUS, yes the key was to be 4th and the games were exhibition like style.

We were always this good, we just didn't play well. I think there is a big difference between being good and playing well. As Spain has demonstrated over the years. They are always good, but they play well when they need to.

[Hepcat]

The objective was to avoid USA in semi finals, we won games that we had to win , also other games that we played in our group were competitive , we were flying under radar because we chose to do that , its similar path to the finals that we took in 2014 at WC.

Oh come on. As if Serbia's 2-3 record and fourth place finish in the group phase were all part of some grand design. Serbia just wasn't as good in the group phase as were Australia and France.

[ncjazz]

The objective was to avoid USA in semi finals, we won games that we had to win , also other games that we played in our group were competitive , we were flying under radar because we chose to do that , its similar path to the finals that we took in 2014 at WC.

Dont know if I buy this, but I have been a fan of Serbian team for a long time so happy to see them in the finals. Serbia just needs a little more in the frontcourt (Bobo and Bjilecia of course would have helped) and upgrades at the SF as others have said. We will see what kind of team US puts out there for World Cup especially with the Olympics only one year away.

[Srle]

To be fair Serbia had a pretty mediocre group stage and were seeded 4th coming into the knockout stage. Now it clearly wasn't an upset but no one was expecting such a thrashing.

I actually cringe more when commentators point to the FIBA World Rankings as indicator of an upset. The rankings are good for pointing to how good a team has been over the course of a decade but does a piss poor job of rating a teams current ability. A friendly reminder Argentina, for the moment, still out ranks Serbia and Russia is right behind the Serbs in 7th.

The objective was to avoid USA in semi finals, we won games that we had to win , also other games that we played in our group were competitive , we were flying under radar because we chose to do that , its similar path to the finals that we took in 2014 at WC.

[CoachZ]

Oh admit it. You're such an NBA fan boy and you hate and despise European basketball so much that you wouldn't even support Estonia against an NBA team.

The funniest part is he doesn't even know what he is saying. Yes the USA dominated Serbia in that WC2014, by pure quality and talent of their roster. But they did it playing FIBA style basketball. Which is exactly what he claims to hate

[Dtown]

He only knows international basketball from an NBA standpoint. He doesn't know the actual game itself.

Serbia wasn't upsetting anybody. They're the number two or three team in he world. For all of his comparisons to the tourney, he seems to have forgotten about a little thing called seeding or ranking.

To be fair Serbia had a pretty mediocre group stage and were seeded 4th coming into the knockout stage. Now it clearly wasn't an upset but no one was expecting such a thrashing.

I actually cringe more when commentators point to the FIBA World Rankings as indicator of an upset. The rankings are good for pointing to how good a team has been over the course of a decade but does a piss poor job of rating a teams current ability. A friendly reminder Argentina, for the moment, still out ranks Serbia and Russia is right behind the Serbs in 7th.

[Hepcat]

I was not outclassed, Australia is not my team, I just supported them in this. Estonia, as bad as we are, beat Serbia at home last time I remember and the game wasnt totally meaningless.

And of course I wish Serbia will destroyed, humiliated by USA, cause I love NBA style of basketball and how it dominated 2014 finals....

Oh admit it. You're such an NBA fan boy and you hate and despise European basketball so much that you wouldn't even support Estonia against an NBA team.

[CoachZ]

Wait a minute. While the Serbian team and Coach Aleksandar Đorđević fully deserve to be congratulated, the Serbian fans on this board had until yesterday been heaping nothing but scorn on Đorđević . Yet Đorđević and the rest of the Serbian coaching staff designed a game plan that completely stymied the Australian scoring machine which had notched no less than 81 points in any previous game. Even the U.S. team couldn't prevent Australia from scoring 88 points.

I'd now be interested in the Đorđević detractors' analysis of precisely what the Serbian team did yesterday to neutralize Austraia's scoring.

I don't think Djordjevic is a great coach, and I am the first to say it. He has still so much to learn. Still that is not necessarily the requisite to be successful. Sometimes you don't have a great coach but rather the RIGHT coach for a team to perform well. He has a team that does scouting for him and prepares games (he doesn't do this himself) and that job was great. His role is motivating, getting guys in the right mindset and controlling the game. He is hot and cold there, but yesterday he was brilliant. Against Croatia he almost lost us the game with stupidity and slow reactions and game management. A game that should have never been close. Again, all the best to him and the guys. I want him to prove me wrong every single time. This will mean, we will be winning I think he is very talented but young and inexperienced.

Regarding the gameplan vs AUS, I wrote about it 7-8 pages back. You can see it there.

[CHBB]

It was really sickening listening so called expert on international basketball Fran Fraschilla , hyping Australia all night long during the NBC broadcast and picturing how this was shock result , what a buffoon , like there were tons of great results for Australian NT basketball in the past 20 years , just because they have bunch of overrated players playing in NBA , that doesn't make them better players than ours, Baynes was playing for Union Olimpia several seasons ago for example , he was talent less hack then as he is today. Same can be said for other Australian players as well.

He only knows international basketball from an NBA standpoint. He doesn't know the actual game itself.

Serbia wasn't upsetting anybody. They're the number two or three team in he world. For all of his comparisons to the tourney, he seems to have forgotten about a little thing called seeding or ranking.

[Hepcat]

Time to pull an old classic clip from the Atlanta Olympics This is the attitude needed vs USA

https://twitter.com/mikekaplan_/stat...64189922783232

That's hilarious! The expression on the American player's face "Huh? Okay then. Be my guest."

[Hepcat]

Wonder why this is? What's rubbed you about Serbia wrong?

I have no problems with the Serbian team. I'm less positively disposed shall we say toward the Spanish team.

[Hepcat]

Congrats to Srle, coach Z, Obina, Sashx and the rest of Serbian posters. After backing up the '14 final appearance with another you are back where you rightfully belong next to the USA as the world's best.

Wait a minute. While the Serbian team and Coach Aleksandar Đorđević fully deserve to be congratulated, the Serbian fans on this board had until yesterday been heaping nothing but scorn on Đorđević . Yet Đorđević and the rest of the Serbian coaching staff designed a game plan that completely stymied the Australian scoring machine which had notched no less than 81 points in any previous game. Even the U.S. team couldn't prevent Australia from scoring 88 points.

I'd now be interested in the Đorđević detractors' analysis of precisely what the Serbian team did yesterday to neutralize Austraia's scoring.

[Mindozas]

Wonder why this is? What's rubbed you about Serbia wrong?

Probably not Serbia, but Yugoslavia. And old rivalries like Zalgiris - Cibona, which was Yugo team back in 80s, then Lithuania - Yugoslavia in 90s with famous 1995 final, till now lot of Liths believe it was robbery by Stankovic and refs. But overall nowadays, I don't feel any negativity towards Serbian bball in Lithuania. Those days are long gone, basically since 2000/2003

[CoachZ]

Very easy for me to pick a favorite - when Serbia is involved in basketball, i support their opponents .
With other sports it is actually quite opposite .

Wonder why this is? What's rubbed you about Serbia wrong?