Daniel Theis bit his brilliant white teeth. The power forward had just conceded his fifth foul in the final stages of the game against Lithuania, and he had to pursue the following two overtimes from the bench. Theis of all people, one of those in the German team who bring a lot of presence under the baskets. In the win against the Bosnians, he had already done important defensive work against center Jusuf Nurkic, the 2.13 meter and 132 kilogram heavy chunk who plays for the Portland Train Blazers in the NBA.
Now he had to deal with two giants of this quality in Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings) and Jonas Valanciunas (New Orleans Pelicans), who are not called the Lithuanian “Twin Towers” for nothing. You can’t act squeamishly against opponents of this size. And Theis, who will soon be playing for the Indiana Pacers, knows these duels from the NBA, which is why he is so important for the German team.
So he conceded his fifth foul after a questionable whistle – and refrained from commenting on the referees: “I have to be careful what I say now. You can see that the referees are too busy with themselves to to find your own line, and then something like that is forgotten.” With something like that, the 30-year-old clearer meant a much more controversial decision by the referees than his exclusion – from which his team benefited, however.
National coach Gordon Herbert, not a coach who is conspicuous by excessive lamentation on the sidelines, was so upset about a whistle that he received a technical foul. However, the referees simply forgot about the due free throw, neither the officials at the referee’s table nor the Lithuanians intervened at first. And when the mishap was noticed, a few attacks had already been played – it was simply too late. Given the 89:89 after regular time, the throw could have decided the game (if Valanciunas had scored).
It wasn’t the only wrong decision that caused a lack of understanding and criticism. In Tbilisi, in the scandalous match between the host Georgians and the Turks, the game clock continued to run for a full 22 seconds, although the action was interrupted due to a scuffle between two players. This game also went into overtime twice, in basketball 22 seconds is definitely a period that can be of trend-setting importance. The Turkish delegation’s protest against the ranking has already been rejected because, according to the world association Fiba, the Turks could not prove that the result would have been different without the timekeeping glitch.
In the game between Georgia and Turkey, the clock in Tbilisi continues to run 22 seconds despite the interruption
Irrespective of this, one had to get the impression that the referees were overwhelmed in the heated atmosphere. First objects flew from the spectator stands onto the field, then the chaos continued after the game, according to the Turks. There was a scuffle in the catacombs in which Georgian security forces are said to have been involved. The Georgians speak of provocations by the Turks. They are now requesting the recordings from the surveillance cameras and threatening legal action if they refuse to do so (there was also brief talk of withdrawing from the tournament). Fiba has started investigations, the outcome of which is open.
In the Bundesliga for Berlin, at the European Championship for Croatia: Jaleen Smith is surprised at the lax game management in the tournament.
(Photo: Claudio Grassi/Imago)
Of course it is always the easiest reflex to look for the cause of a defeat in referees. But the critical comments from the players are increasing: “I think you can see for yourself. The fall over time in the Turkey game, the technical foul here with Lithuania. That’s something that Fiba takes care of, that’s why I have nothing to say about that,” said Luka Doncic, one of the most prominent players in the tournament. Alba Berlin’s Jaleen Smith, thanks to naturalization for Croatia at the European Championship, criticized the lax game management of the referees, in the Euroleague, in which Smith works with his club, the whistles are stricter.
The Euroleague referees are missing – because of disputes with Fiba
However, the recognized good referees from the Euroleague are not present at the European Championship because the relationship between Fiba and the commercially run Euroleague is not exactly a partnership. This dissent has a certain tradition, the Euroleague, with its lavish schedule, takes no account of the time window for European Championship or World Cup qualifiers. As a result, not only the NBA players are missing from these games, but now also the majority of the Euroleague players.
Fiba, on the other hand, has launched a competition in competition with the Euroleague and Eurocup in the Champions League and avoids any cooperation with the Euroleague – which affects the referees, among other things. As a result, there are referees on the floor who have little experience at this level, now they meet first-class players from the NBA and Euroleague whose physical and fast play seems to push them to their limits.
Of course, it should also be noted that the majority of the referees show inconspicuous performances, which is the best case for a game manager. And in the center of all interest are the players anyway, and especially with the German selection there is little to criticize so far.