German bronze hopes shattered at NBA giant Jokic
The time of Bundestrainer Gordon Herbert ends without a medal. At the Olympic Games, the basketball world champions from Germany lost the bronze medal game against the experienced Serbs after losing to France in the semi-finals.
The German champions' hopes for bronze were dashed by the best basketball players in the world: In the last game of the Gordon Herbert era, the team led by captain Dennis Schröder lost the bronze medal game in Paris 83:93 (38:46) against Serbia and superstar Nikola Jokic. After winning the bronze medal at the 2022 European Championships and the sensational World Cup victory in Manila, the DBB team's incredible medal streak has come to an end.
In the rematch of the World Cup final, Franz Wagner was the top scorer for the German team with 18 points. Vasilije Micić (19 points) and the triple-double shining Jokic (19 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists) stood out for the Serbs. Legendary coach Svetislav Pešić, who led Germany to the European Championship title in 1993, won his first Olympic medal 18 days before his 75th birthday.
Herbert's players had only around 40 hours to overcome the huge disappointment of the avoidable 69:73 loss to the host and win the historic first medal for the German men's basketball team - the best result so far was seventh place in 1992. With Dirk Nowitzki, who was again a VIP in the front row on Saturday, it was only enough for 10th place in 2008. "A bronze medal would have been something special," said Herbert, who will step down after three years and will coach double-winner Bayern Munich in the future.
Jokic, again and again Jokic
But at the ungrateful time on Saturday morning in the Bercy Arena, an ungrateful opponent stood in the way. The Serbs around figurehead Jokic, a three-time and current most valuable player (MVP) of the North American elite league NBA, had suffered a "heartbreaker" (Herbert) like Germany in the semi-finals, almost having the gold-favorite USA team with superstars LeBron James and Stephen Curry on the hook with 40 minutes of team basketball at its finest.
"We have to play better than against France," forward Franz Wagner had formulated as a prerequisite for reaching bronze. That didn't happen often enough. Jokic, who missed last year's World Cup, made the German defense look helpless with his unique mix of sheer power and playing genius in the early phase of the game. The exceptional player of the Denver Nuggets created spaces for the excellent shooters of the Serbs, and the 21:30 deficit after 10 minutes was the logical consequence.
Offensively, Schröder, Wagner, and Co. hardly got easy points. Because the Serbs defended fanatically, but also because the Germans sometimes shot terribly - 30 percent (10/33) field goal percentage in the first half, the Serbs were at 52. After the break, little changed: The Germans played with mistakes, the Serbs, on the other hand, ice-cold. With the 45:64 (26th) after a 0:10 run, the game was practically over.
With the end of the Olympic mission, perhaps not everything, but much will change. The next international games are scheduled for November in the European Championship qualifiers. The DBB wants to announce the new coach of the world champions soon. The new Bundestrainer will inherit a heavy legacy, but will also find a lot of potential.
In the NBA, Nikola Jokic is recognized as a three-time and current most valuable player (MVP). Despite the loss in the bronze medal game, his performance against Germany was outstanding, showcasing his unique mix of power and playing genius.
After their disappointing performance in the Olympic Games, the German basketball team, led by former Bundestrainer Gordon Herbert, will look towards the upcoming European Championship qualifiers, hoping to regain their form and aim for another medal opportunity.
