SOLOPOS.COM – The Canadian national basketball team sang the national anthem during the first match against France in Group H of the 2023 FIBA World Cup at the Gelora Bung Karno Arena in Indonesia, in Jakarta, Friday (8/25/2023). (ANTARA/Zaro Ezza Syachniar)
Solopos.com, JAKARTA-Journey FIBA World Cup 2023 in Indonesia will reach its peak today, Sunday (03/9/2023) at Indonesian arenaGelora Bung Karno Complex, Senayan, Jakarta.
Four teams will need to win a must-win game to secure two tickets to the quarterfinals of this year’s Basketball World Cup.
Debutants Latvia will face Brazil, while Canada will try to beat defending champions Spain. The winners of these two matches are guaranteed to qualify for the round of 16.
The Indonesian basketball public was fascinated by the performances of Latvia and Brazil. However, it cannot be denied that the duel between Canada and Spain has a more powerful magnet.
The reason is even more true if it is not Canada, which has seven NBA players. Spain is also home to a number of players who have experienced the atmosphere of American basketball competition as well as their status as reigning FIBA World Cup champions.
Spain’s record of 11 consecutive World Cup victories was ended last Friday by Latvia. The good news is that Spain has not lost consecutively in this tournament since 1990.
For Spanish coach Sergio Scariolo, he often faced decisive matches like this. However, he believes some players will have their first life or death match experience. This Italian coach also chose to lighten the burden on his players.
“I try, as always, to focus on our strengths first. Then on the strength of the opponent. Try to maximize it and minimize our weaknesses. For me, it’s game #1. 200 of the situation do or die, but that’s not the case for most of my players. “I try to keep them focused, confident and develop their focus on the game plan and their confidence in the opportunity to compete the way we need to,” Scariolo said. Solopos.com Since BetweenSunday.
Canada is reinforced by seven NBA players with guard Oklahoma City Thunder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the brightest figure.
He’s averaging over 22 points per game in his four appearances so far with an average efficiency of 26.3. The individual strength of opposing players is the basis for why Scariolo says Canada’s strength is greater than that of his team.
“Of course, it’s a game we want to win and a game they want to win. “They are very good and we will try to do as well as them to compete,” added Scariolo.
Even though Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) scored more than 20 points in three matches in his first World Cup, Canada had not recorded anything as positive since 1954. At that time, only Carl Ridd could record a match as impressive as that. SGA for Canada. The rest does not exist.
“We know we will perform 100%. This is a team that is probably above us. Physicality, athleticism, NBA experience, etc. What is in your hands is to do your best. “If the best is not enough, you shake their hand and you wish them good luck for the rest of this championship,” Scariolo continued.
Ahead of this match, the condition of veteran Sergio Llull will continue to be monitored. Llull received a severe blow and the decision to play him or not depends on the final follow-up of the medical team.
For Canada’s two star players, Dillon Brooks and RJ Barrett, there are several challenges ahead against the defending champions.
“They play physical and force you to make extra passes. Spain is not selfish, they share the ball and play together for a long time. It’s also a pretty big team. We must beat them deep bouncing win,” Brooks said.
Canada counting on Dwight Powell and Kelly Olynyk in painting area must be able to match the energy of the Hernangomez brothers and Usman Garuba.
On the other hand, Canadian coach Jordi Fernandez’s knowledge of Scariolo’s tactics should come in handy. Fernandez was the head coach of the Spanish U-19 team in 2013. Scariolo also called Fernandez his friend.
The two teams have only met once in the World Cup. But that happened in 2010, when Spain won 89-67. The second and last meeting between the two teams took place a month ago during a preparation match. At that time, Canada had an 85-80 lead.
In the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Spain has only lost once, including against Latvia the day before yesterday. However, based on historical records, Spain has never lost two consecutive matches in a FIBA World Cup match since 1990, when it lost to Greece and continued against States -United.
Spain and Canada both lost their final matches the day before yesterday. However, a separate note for countries geographically above the United States is that they always lose if they score less than 80 points. This happened 15 times while Canada was in the World Cup.
Finally, Canada could only score 65 points in their defeat against Brazil in Friday’s (01/09/2023) match at the Indonesia Arena.
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