EuroBasket 2017 - The Quarter Finals
There was plenty to like at the quarter finals of EuroBasket 2017. The tournament continued its streak of skills, surprises and basketball at its best.
Germany led Spain for much of the first half thanks largely to Daniel Theiss, one of their highest-scoring players from the field. Behind 28 points and 10 rebounds from Marc Gasol, Spain got themselves back into it, and in the final quarter it was all Spain. Sergio Rodriguez was a particular stand-out in this final, decisive period of the game, and was one of three Spanish players to score in double figures as Spain once again made the EuroBasket semi finals, dispatching Germany 84 to 72.
Goran Dragic led Slovenia in the team's huge first quarter over Latvia. Smart play and long range shooting from Latvia saw them overturn a double-digit deficit in this consistently exciting game with highlights aplenty. Kristaps Porzingis - who had 34 points, the highest individual scoring performance of the tournament - made it a one point game with less than two minutes to go. Slovenia stayed the course and followed their captain's example. Dragic led Slovenia to the semi finals for the second time in their history with the win in this outstanding game.
It would take Russia to the bitter end to overcome a great performance from Greece, who were most effective from close range but their shooters also getting it done from further out. Russia’s big three - Alexei Shved, Timofey Mozgov and Vitaly Frindzon - were all deadly from different parts of the floor, and Greece seemed to have no answer for this late Russian surge. Despite 25 points in an amazing performance from Nick Calathes, resurgent Russia played well when it counted, and make the EuroBasket semi finals for the first time since 2011. The final score in this one: 74-69.
Serbia, behind 22 points from Bogdan Bogdanovic and 44 points in the paint, laid waste to lacklustre Italy. While previously a big strength of Italy, their three-point shooting were not falling for them in this high-stakes matchup, and there was little their inside players did to make up for it. Another solid, clinical performance from Serbia saw them easily take the win and set up a semi final matchup with Russia.
It's down to the nitty gritty, and some exciting semi finals are up next - Spain and Slovenia, the only undefeated teams left in the tournament - face off first, followed by Russia taking on Serbia, the pretenders to their throne.
Get ready for quarter final stage by finding out more on the tournament's official website.
