For 30 years, Maverick fans have had to follow international basketball to not miss out on Dallas Mavericks players competing over the summer. Even though the Dallas front office may be done with Europeans in Dallas and traded them all away, doesn’t mean that Mavs fans are. You may still want to follow along, and if that’s the case, this is the place for you.
This week, Eurobasket officially began, and that means entertaining basketball and superstar clashes every day on the court – and friction between
nations and players – off the court. Every day for three weeks.
This EuroBasket Corner will give you the big stories, as well as the small rumors, beef and drama of the tournament.
Let’s start with Slovenia, a team well known to Mavs fans, with a superstar trying to hold it all together, as per the usual. It’s a story as old as time, Luka Doncic once again having to carry and lead a roster of mediocre players. But the new part is that during the prep phase some internal drama, usually kept private, saw the light of day, involving the Dragic’s and the team’s leadership. This is a much more complicated story, and its beginnings go back years, but if you’re interested in the newest developments, you can read more about that story here.
Luka Doncic was also reportedly more disappointed in his team and their effort than ever after the substantial loss to Serbia in the last prep game. According to coach Sekulic, Doncic had a lot to say to the group after the game. Edo Muric said afterwards that the team never felt so bad before as they did after that game. Muric described it as a “reality check” and emphasized that now the team is extra motivated to prove themselves, because they don’t want that to happen again.
Unfortunately, Doncic’s disappointment has plenty of reason to linger, as Slovenia took a hit with a loss in their first game Thursday against Poland 95-105. Like the ghosts of quarterfinals past (Eurobasket 2022), Poland didn’t let Slovenia get close more than once and their modest depth was too much for the Slovenian roster. As Alen Omic, their newly returned big man, hesitated to be an offensive threat, Slovenia went small with Edo Muric on the five. This was where Slovenia was best, but the lack of depth is a challenge not even Luka Doncic can overcome by himself.
Doncic showed a significant improvement in his quickness on defense from the perimeter, as well as his first step, however, and was extremely focused both on offense and defense. A summer well-spent is clearly showing off.
Nikola Jokic and Serbia keep looking like the best team in the world, yes I said it and stand by it, and in their first 98-64 win over Estonia, they lived up to all the hype. And of course Jokic keeps looking like the best player in the world.
Türkiye also looked impressive in their first game, the size of this team is extraordinary and Alperen Sengun (Houston Rockets) just keeps dominating. With a roster full of EuroLeague stars next to Sengun, like Shane Larkin and Cedi Osman, the question is now: could they be a real contender? A team to watch and a player to watch.
Giannis Antetokounmpo looked like NBA MVP Giannis in Greece’s first win against Italy, where he completely dominated in the paint and showed just how much of a force he can be. Greece may be one to watch, as well, if he keeps this up, because not many teams in this tournament have players who can stop him downhill or in the paint – and Greece has more depth than most teams. Giannis had 31 points in the 75-66 win over Italy.
Upset of the day: Tiny country and huge underdog Georgia upset the reigning champions Spain in their first game 83-69. Impressive start for Georgia led by NBA players Mamu (Sandro Mamukelashvili, Toronto Raptors) and Goga Bitadze (Orlando Magic).
Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz) is famous for his FIBA dominance by now and seems to take a leap with every competition in Finland’s blue and white colors. He averaged 40 points in three prep games and almost 54 percent from three. Markkanen and Finland got their first win in the Nordic matchup against Sweden 90-93.
Jonas Valanciunas of Lithuania (and the Denver Nuggets) put up a great performance in their win against Great Britain and he managed to rise to fourth in the FIBA EuroBasket rebounding charts, overtaking Spain’s Marc Gasol on the opening day.
Beef of the day – or kerfuffle may be a better word here – goes to the old emotions-on-hissleeve Luka Doncic, who is not a fan of losing to Poland and was upset at the officiating most of the second half.
FIBA Eurobasket takes place from 27. August to 14. September. You can subscribe to access all games here: Courtside 1891.
