2017 3x3 World Tour Debrecen Masters Report
With great basketball constantly on display, games that were highly competitive, exciting and tense, and the tremendous atmosphere delivered by the crowds in Kossuth Square, the Debrecen Masters proved to be the very best stop on the 2017 3x3 World Tour to date.
Monaco did not spend long ruminating on their opening loss to Novi Sad, overcoming a five-point deficit in their next game against Budapest with some nice inside play and taking advantage of some slow defensive reactions. Budapest only had a one point lead going into the final stretch, but Monaco executed a great final play, drawing out Budapest’s defence and handing the ball off to an unguarded Dejan Mlakar for the game-winning two point shot.
In the final pool game, Budapest fought hard against Novi Sad, and took an early lead, but all their effort was undone by Novi Sad’s composure and strength on defence, particularly in the last couple of minutes. The only Hungarian team in the tournament bowed out without a win for the home crowds to enjoy.
The opening game of Pool B saw many lead changes between Ljubljana and Warsaw, who had a three-point lead at the 1:30 mark. Ljubljana held their nerve and with a string of good inside plays they took the game to overtime. In extra period, the Slovenian team quickly put the game in the books, a final floating shot from Jasmin Hercegovic over Piotr Wojcik ending the proceedings.
Warsaw were more impressive in their second game against Mitrovica. Over-turning the defecit against them and scoring seven points in one minute, Warsaw continued this successful streak, going on to win the game by five points. As for Mitrovicia, their fate was sealed by Ljubljana in the last game of Pool B, the Serbians eliminated with a 22-10 loss.
Liman got off to the best possible start with a three-point win over close rivals Belgrade, who did well to fight back against their compatriot team, but could not
Belgrade’s second game against Amsterdam was, throughout, a tough one to call. Both teams adept in the paint and from beyond the arc, the scoreline was tied for quite some time. Jesper Jobse made a layup with 0:08 to go to tie the scores. This sent the game to overtime, which followed the same pattern of point for point. Eventually, Dusan Popovic of Belgrade was fouled and went to the free-throw line. Cool under pressure, he made the foul shot to give his team the win.
Amsterdam’s tight play continued against Liman, yet despite their best efforts the Dutch could not break away. Good passing and shooting from all spots on the floor saw Liman victorious in this hard-fought game, 21-19.
Zaporizhzhya made a good start to their opening Pool D game against Kranj, but as it went on the Ukrainians began to make more mistakes - so many that Kranj emerged victorious. They didn’t fare any better against Riga, who dispatched them 22-8 with more than four minutes left in regulation.
In the deciding game, Riga flourished on the inside while Kranj were at their best from long range. Both teams, though, made a big effort on defence. Scoring was, once again, very tight, with only two points ever coming between the two teams. Nauris Miezis’s layup with twenty seconds to go to nudge Riga into the lead, only for Jasmin Perkovic to level the scores with a layup of his own seconds later. In the remaining time, Miezis single-handedly broke past Kranj’s defence, but his shot fell short. However, Agnis Cavars swooped into action, grabbing the loose ball and floating it into the basket in the final two seconds of play.
Kranj suffered another hard loss on the start of day two, albeit a more conclusive one, 21-12 to Novi Sad. The Serbians looked set to take their fourth title of this year’s world tour. Warsaw had a slender lead over Liman in the next quarter-final, but the Serbians’ speed and smart play would see them overturn the scoreline with a vengeance. Belgrade had scraped through to the quarter final, but there they were outclassed by the scoring ability of Ljubljana, dispatched by seven points.
The final quarter final was the most exciting. While Riga’s shooters did a lot to keep the team on top, a big effort from Kevin Corre helped Monaco stay within reach of the Latvians.
The teams exchanges points down the stretch, and Dejan Mlakar gave Monaco a two-point lead with a minute to go. Riga, however, retained their composure to tie the scores and send the game to sudden death. Corre put Monaco within one of winning in overtime, but Karlis Lasmanis scooped up a loose ball and neatly put it away to make it a one-basket situation. On the final play of the game, Kevin Corre defended Riga’s Agnis Cavars, but the Latvian wrong-footed his opponent and layed the ball up over him to gift Riga a hard-earned semi final spot.
Good defence from Liman prevented Novi Sad from sinking the dagger early in the first semi final. Still, Liman found themselves on the back foot, with Mihalo Vasic doing well to first level the teams, then putting Liman in front by three. Dusan Bulut, as always, did well to help Novi Sad re-assert themselves - tying the scores then giving them a two-point lead with two minutes to go.
Finding gaps through Novi Sad’s defence, Liman reduced their arrears to just one with thirty seconds left. Then, on the final play of the game, Aleksandar Ratkov made an incredible over-the-head shot from behind to win the game for Liman in dramatic style. Novi Sad were handed their first defeat of the tour, but graciously congratulated their opponents on their well-earned victory.
More drama was to follow in the second semi final between Ljubljana and Riga, with shots coming in thick and fast from both teams. With the Slovenians starting to pull away with good long-range shooting, Riga responded with some quick inside plays and working hard to intercept Ljubljana’s passes.
A two-point shot from courtside by Jasmin Hercegovic put Ljubljana within one of victory, to which Riga replied with two layups in quick succession to make it a one-basket game. On the final play Karlis Lasmanis or Riga and Ljubljana's Blas Cresnar jostled, but the much taller Slovenian held on to possession, made a shot over his defender. He missed the attempt at basket but tipped in the rebound to send Ljubljana to the final.
In the final, the outside shooting of Stefan Stojacic and inside play of Stefan Kojic saw Liman go on an early scoring run, leading Ljubljana 9-2 in a little over two minutes of play. Ljubljana’s response was to wear down Liman’s defence, but the Serbian team kept finding good looks at basket. Ljubljana’s defence was poor in the game, and Liman took full advantage, making easy baskets off the back of it to take them to within one.
A four-point run from Ljubljana six minutes in looked threatening, but Liman did not crack and, with just under three minutes to go, Stefan Stojacic breezed past Ales Kunc and made a one-handed dunk to cap off a terrific performance all weekend from Liman and take their rightful place at the top of the podium at the Debrecen Masters.
As if the main competition wasn't enough, some pretty spectacular acrobatics were on display in the dunk contest, as its three finalists Dmitry 'Smoove' Krivenko, Kristaps Dargais and Gediminas Zitilinskas faced off for victory in Debrecen:
There were plenty of great moves on display throughout the two days, here are a selection of the best of them:
The next stop on the tour will begin on September 23rd, taking place in the heart of China's Sichuan province in the city of Chengdu. For updates ahead of this penultimate stop on the tour ahead of the final, head to the official website of the Chengdu Masters.
