Top EM's preferred incident: "Century's most humiliating basketball debacle"
In a shocking turn of events at the Riga Arena in Latvia, the European Basketball Championship has witnessed a major sensation as co-hosts Finland eliminated the gold favourite, Serbia, in the round of 16.
The Serbian team, led by NBA star Bogdan Bogdanovic from the Los Angeles Clippers, suffered a significant blow when Bogdanovic sustained a thigh injury during the tournament, forcing him to miss the rest of the competition. The absence of such a key player undoubtedly impacted Serbia's performance.
The Serbian team was coached by Svetislav Pesic, who faced elimination by Finland. In contrast, the coach of the Finnish team remains unnamed in the search results, while the German team, also in the competition, is coached by Alex Mumbru, who is currently absent due to illness.
The defeat was met with criticism from the media, with newspapers such as "Blic" describing it as the "basketball blunder of the century" and "Danas" labelling the game as "scary" and the result as "terrifying." The newspapers criticised the lack of defence, aggression, and energy displayed by the Serbian team.
Despite the injuries and poor performance, Nikola Jokic, a three-time NBA MVP and a member of the Serbian team, managed to score significant points in several major tournaments with the national team. However, his struggles to win a major title with the Serbian national team continue, with losses in the round of 16, the final, and the World Cup. Jokic, who won the 2023 NBA title with the Denver Nuggets, is still waiting for his first major title with the national team.
Jokic scored 33 points in the game against Finland, but it wasn't enough to prevent the loss. Nikola Jovic, a member of the Miami Heat, played despite having problems but still managed to score 20 points against Finland. However, the high number of offensive rebounds allowed by Serbia, totalling 20, was unacceptable according to Jovic.
National coach Svetislav Pesic admitted that the team was not physically prepared for the game. The injury of Bogdan Bogdanovic and the high number of offensive rebounds allowed by Serbia significantly impacted their performance against Finland.
Jokic's biggest success so far is the Olympic silver in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, and last year he won bronze with the team in Paris against Germany. Despite these achievements, the quest for a major title with the Serbian national team continues to elude Jokic.
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