The U.S. men’s basketball team suffered a surprising defeat to Germany in the FIBA World Cup semifinals, forcing them to play for the bronze medal.
Germany, led by NBA forwards Franz Wagner and Daniel Theis, emerged victorious with a score of 113-111 in Manila, securing their first-ever spot in an Olympics or world final (where they will face Serbia on Sunday).
This victory marked Germany’s first win against the U.S. in their nine encounters during the Dream Team era (since 1992).
The U.S. has now lost two games in a row at the World Cup, surpassing the record for the most points conceded at an Olympics or world championship.
FIBA WORLD CUP: Schedule, Results
“This team is truly deserving of a championship, but unfortunately, we couldn’t get the job done,” regretfully stated head coach Steve Kerr. “Over the past 30 years, the game has become increasingly globalized.
“It’s not 1991 anymore.”
Four years ago, the U.S. finished in seventh place, their worst result in a major tournament. However, they bounced back and won their fourth consecutive Olympic title in Tokyo.
On Sunday, the U.S. will face Canada for the bronze medal, aiming to avoid a third loss in a major tournament, a scenario that hasn’t happened since the 2004 Athens Olympics. This failure in Greece ultimately led to an overhaul of U.S. men’s basketball.
In line with a recent trend, the top American NBA players are not participating in the World Cup. Additionally, some international stars have chosen not to compete. Many players who plan to participate in the Olympics are taking this summer to rest between NBA seasons.
Remarkably, for the first time in the Dream Team era, the U.S. roster consists of no All-NBA players or individuals with prior Olympic or world experience. (Except for the 1998 Worlds, when the initial roster had such players, but none of them made the final team due to the NBA lockout.)
The U.S. suffered a 110-104 defeat against Lithuania in group play last Sunday, as the Lithuanians dominated the first quarter with a 31-12 lead.
Lithuania outrebounded the U.S. 43-27 and made 14 of 25 three-point shots, despite Anthony Edwards’ impressive 35-point performance.
However, the U.S. swiftly bounced back and crushed Italy in the quarterfinals.
The U.S. and Germany had a close match during their second-ever world semifinal (the first since 2002), but Germany’s 35-point third quarter pushed them ahead by 10 points.
Although Edwards contributed 23 points to the U.S.’s efforts, they couldn’t completely close the gap and fell short with a final score of 106-103.
While Germany is renowned for producing basketball legends like Detlef Schrempf and Dirk Nowitzki, they have never enjoyed the same consistency as European powerhouses such as Spain and Lithuania.
They only qualified for one Olympics during Nowitzki’s career in 2008 and have never reached an Olympic semifinal.
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