Basketball players correct disastrous starts with great struggle
The German basketball team is in the Olympic semi-finals. The path there leads over Greece and is anything but easy. The world champions got off to a very poor start and had a lot of trouble offensively for a long time.
Cheered on by basketball legend Dirk Nowitzki, the German team coached by Gordon Herbert took a big step towards their dream goal and reached the Olympic semi-finals for the first time with a hard-fought 76:63 win over Greece and NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo. In the eyes of their idol, the world champions fought their way into the last four and now have two chances to secure a medal.
Franz Wagner was the top scorer of the DBB team with 18 points, while Johannes Thiemann also played well on both ends of the court. Antetokounmpo's 22 points were not enough to prevent the first semi-final appearance of the German men's team at the Olympics. In the semi-finals, Germany will face hosts France or co-favorites Canada on Thursday. A win, and the third medal at the third major tournament in a row would be secured for the German team. Otherwise, there is still a chance for bronze.
Greece starts furiously
In the Bercy Arena in Paris, captain Dennis Schröder and his teammates initially struggled to build on their strong performances from the group stage against confident Greeks. With a perfect record of three wins from three games - including an impressive win over co-favorites France to finish - the German team had moved from Lille to the Olympic Village in the capital over the weekend.
Accordingly, the situation was clear before the duel with the Greeks, who had just qualified for the quarter-finals as one of the two best third-placed teams in their group: Germany was the clear favorite - despite Antetokounmpo. However, Daniel Theis had warned that the team would face "an extremely difficult game" against the two-time NBA MVP, whom Herbert described as "one of the best players in the world."
Theis was proved right, as Greece got off to a much better start. The Germans struggled with a lack of intensity in defense and too much stagnation in offense, forcing Herbert to call a timeout after just over three minutes. The result remained meager, with only 11 points scored in the first quarter.
When the long-range shots fall, it works
But then the German team's long-range shots started to fall, and they managed to claw back a 12-point deficit before halftime: Nine seconds before the end of the second quarter, Theis scored an alley-oop with Schröder's assist to level the game.
The game remained close afterwards, but the Germans were finally in the game. When Isaac Bonga hit a three-pointer at the end of the third quarter to make it 59:52, even Nowitzki raised his fist on the sidelines. And the 46-year-old had even more reason to celebrate: Germany held onto their lead and is now fighting for medals.
The German team's victory over Greece secures their place in the Olympic semi-finals for the first time, participating in The Olympic Games. Their semi-final opponent will be either hosts France or co-favorites Canada, providing another opportunity to secure a medal at this prestigious event.
Despite starting the game with difficulty, the Germans managed to overcome a significant deficit, thanks in part to their improved accuracy in long-range shooting, eventually leading to a tight victory in The Olympic Games.
