In this form, German basketball players do not need to be afraid of NBA stars around LeBron James. After their gala finish in the preliminary round against hosts France in the cauldron of Lille, the world champions will travel to Paris as hot medal candidates. “If we play, we can beat anybody,” said center Daniel Theis.
The way in which Dennis Schröder and Co. the French team led by prodigy Victor Wembanyama in 85:71 would not have gone unnoticed at the Marriott Opera Ambassador Hotel in Paris. This is where the top favorite USA, where superstar James and Kevin Durant above, set up their quarters during the Olympic Games.
The final dream is approaching
And it is becoming more and more likely that the dream final between the USA and Germany will take place on August 10th at the Bercy Arena in Paris. In the knockout round, the two top teams avoided each other first, as the USA also finished the preliminary round undefeated. The German team will only meet the gold medal winners from the last four Olympic Games in the final at the earliest.
First is the quarterfinals this Tuesday (11 am) against Greece with NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo. In a possible semi-final, France or Canada will be the opponents on Thursday.
“The goal is to avoid the Americans. “They are a step above everyone else,” said co-captain Johanns Voigtmann. But on Friday’s form, the US boys weren’t too far behind Germany. Led by two NBA professionals, Dennis Schröder and Franz Wagner (both 26 points), Germany dismantled the miserable French in their respective quarters in three quarters. “It’s a statement,” Voigtmann said.
Schröder and Franz Wagner shine
Schröder caused big problems for the hosts with his speed and good throwing from the outside, Wagner put two big exclamation points with two cracking dunks. When the 22-year-old from Orlando Magic simply jumped the 2.24 meter tall Wembanyama, for the second time he fought with four Frenchmen and landed two meters behind the basket. “I like the second dunk better,” Wagner said with a smile. “I think we are ready for a medal.”
No one wants to argue with that on this special night of basketball. “It was a great team performance with very special individual quality,” said successful coach Gordon Herbert, referring to his close team around stars Schröder and Franz Wagner.
At the end of Paris
The coronation will now follow in Paris. On Saturday, the undefeated world champion took a bus to the French capital, where the basketball players finally wanted to taste the real Olympic atmosphere. But the goal is to dream of a medal and the beginning of the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
“We will make a big mistake if we deal with the Americans now,” Voigtmann warned. “All the teams that are still there are very good and all are special in their own way. You have to be careful.” Germany are still clear favorites against Greece on Tuesday.
After arriving in Paris and checking into the Olympic Village, Schröder and Co. should have time for themselves. There is also a small celebration planned for Schröder – his daughter’s fourth birthday on Saturday. “We will spend some time with my family and look at Paris,” announced the point guard from the Brooklyn Nets.