Gordon Herbert looked a little disbelieving after the final siren had ended the quarterfinals between Germany and Greece: The selection of the German Basketball Federation (DBB) beat the big favorite with 107:96 and is actually in the semifinals against world champion Spain on Friday.
The most important question was whether Franz Wagner’s ankle can be repaired so quickly that he would be able to take part after his injury in the round of 16. The good news: The ankle of the basketball nation held. Defense specialist Nick Weiler-Babb, who injured his shoulder against Hungary, and co-captain Johannes Voigtmann, who was recently plagued by a cold, were also there – Wagner and Voigtmann were even in the starting lineup.
And there was another important question: how to stop Giannis Antetokounmpo, twice the NBA’s best player? The simple answer: not at all. Gordon Herbert’s first motto was to at least “keep him away from the basket”. Not so light, the 2.11 meter tall winger is not only extremely athletic, he is also agile and quick – and a fearsome defender as well.
Despite his best efforts, Antetokounmpo had already collected 19 of his final 31 points by half-time. The performance of the German team was even more impressive: Dennis Schröder found security in his distance shot at exactly the right time, could hardly be stopped in his move to the basket and was also the top scorer with 26 points. Three point specialist Andreas Obst scored with enormous precision (19 points) and Wagner confirmed his great class (19), ankle or no. In addition, Daniel Theis (13) and Johannes Thiemann (10) scored in double figures.
Giannis Antetokounmpo braces himself so impetuously against defeat that he flies off the field
A thrilling game developed, this quarter-final was the best game in this top-class European Championship. The audience in Berlin was simply thrilled to see how NBA pros and top European players shoved balls into the baskets, played magic passes, fired long-distance shots with precision or defended with enormous energy. The hosts were always a bit better from the start until – of course – Antetokounmpo gave Hellas the lead for the first time with two free throws (17th minute, 46:44). But the German selection stayed on, leading again (57-54) before Euroleague veteran Kostas Sloukas sirened a three from the halfway line to give the Greeks a 61-57 half-time lead.
What seemed to irritate the German team: After the break, Herbert’s team really got going and not only regained momentum, but also rolled over the only undefeated team in this tournament to date with 26:10 points: before the last quarter Germany led by double digits (83:71). The game remained high quality and nerve-wracking in the last ten minutes in front of 14,073 enthusiastic spectators in the Berlin Arena, which was sold out for the first time.
The Greeks fought against the tournament with all their might, Antetokounmpo so impetuously that he was thrown off the field for his second unsportsmanlike foul five minutes before the end. The DBB selection had long been in a frenzy, and Schröder created equal opportunities when he also had to go into the dressing room prematurely because of his second technical foul. That didn’t change anything about the deserved victory at this level.