The EuroBasket 2017 Final - A Historic Victory for Slovenia and Goran Dragic's God-Like Performance.

steemsports (80)in #steemsports • 7 years ago (edited)

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It is Slovenia's first medal in the country's history.
Slovenia won EuroBasket with a perfect 9-0 record.
Goran Dragic won MVP title of EuroBasket 2017
Slovenia beat Serbia 93-85 in the most dramatic and fascinating final game.

So, the EuroBasket 2017 is over now. Many would agree that it was not the strongest competition in general, and most of the games were quite boring. That said, we witnessed probably the most beautiful final game ever played in EuroBasket. Slovenia managed to finish their fairy tale ride to the gold medals and beat Serbia in the final minutes of the match against all odds.

First Half

The final started slowly, which created perfect conditions for Serbia's big guys to shine. Ognjen Kuzmic scored fast 6 points, and Boban Marjanovic added 4 more. Also, Serbia's superstar, Bogdan Bogdanovic, started the game with a couple of buckets and some beautiful assists. Serbia took the lead 18-13. And that is when Igor Kokoskov took a timeout and drastically changed Slovenia's tactics. They came back crashing into the game and managed to cut the lead to 2 points before the end of the first quarter, which ended 22-20.

Slovenia started the second quarter even faster, and it was obvious that Serbia's big guys could not keep up with the pace of the game. Aleksandar Dordevic tried to adapt to the situation and started small-balling, but it was a little too late as Slovenia's hero, Goran Dragic, found his rhythm and started dominating. The man scored 20 points just in the second quarter, and it was a privilege to watch him play. He just couldn't miss. Goran Dragic put up arguably the best first-half performance ever in the EuroBasket history, so please, if you missed the match, make sure to watch the replay. Anyway, a God-like performance of Goran Dragic helped Slovenia finish the first half with a comfortable 9 points lead, 54-45.

Second Half

Things got even more interesting in the third quarter as Serbia was not in the mood of giving up just yet. Little by little, they managed to slow down the game and cut the lead to 6 points. It was obvious that Slovenia would face a lot of problems as Goran Dragic got tired and couldn't drive to the basket anymore. However, things got even worse when Luka Doncic, an 18-year-old genius, fell on the ground and injured his ankle five minutes into the third quarter. Slovenia was left without their main point guard, whose presence on the pitch was as important as Goran Dragic's. It was obvious that the rest of the team lost their confidence and suddenly Serbia was back in the game with only 4 points deficit and momentum on their side after the three-quarters.

The fourth quarter started as expected - Serbians pushed Slovenia even further to the wall, and it seemed that it was only a matter of till Slovenians would finally give up. I mean, Luka Doncic was crying on the bench out of despair, Goran Dragic could not catch his breath (he also got muscle cramps), so Igor Kokskov had to risk it all and put him on the bench as well. The fate of Slovenian basketball was in the hands of, with all due respect, average players Gasper Vidmar, Klemen Prepelic, and Edo Muric. And those guys had serious problems - they could not create any good opportunities against tight Serbian defense and those difficult shots just couldn't connect with the basket.

Serbia finally took the lead late in the fourth quarter 82-80. That is when the magic, whose name was Klemen Prepelic, happened. The guy started making circus shots, including three-pointers from 9 meters, and fade away jump shots through the defender's arms. Serbians were clearly not ready for such a performance, and they got lost somewhere between the game and their fear of losing. Bogdan Bogdanovic, who had a magnificent final with 22 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds, tried to bring Serbia back to the game but his shots were no good. With only a minute left to play Slovenia, against all odds, increased their lead to 10 points and calmly finished the game 93-85. This victory guaranteed Slovenia their first ever EuroBasket medal, which happened to be gold.

EuroBasket 2017 All-Star lineup

Goran Dragic scored 35 points in the final and won MVP title of EuroBasket 2017. His explosive game was excellent throughout the competition, and he deserved his spot in the All-Star lineup without any further discussions.

Luka Doncic became the second Slovenian to make it to the All-Star lineup. His importance to Slovenia was the same as Dragic's, but we have to appreciate the fact that Doncic is only 18 years old.

Bogdan Bogdanovic, the leader of Serbian team, also made to the All-Star lineup. Serbia was a completely different team while Bogdanovic was on the pitch as he could both shoot the ball and pass it to open teammates like a professional.

Alexey Shved had a phenomenal tournament and helped Russian team to finish in top 4, so no one was surprised to see him in the All-Star lineup. It's a shame that Shved had a huge conflict with his teammate during the bronze game, which made coach Bazarevich angry.

Pau Gasol is 37 years old, and he is still playing as if he was in his prime. Pau, once again, was the leader of Spain team, which won the bronze medal, and he was the best big guy of the tournament. Things change, but Pau Gasol's dominance stays the same. He even said that he would consider coming back to the national team for 2019 World Cup at the age of 39.