Germany knocked out of the 2011 FIBA EuroBasket; Serbia makes it to the last eight; Spain wins
Dirk Nowitzki will not be at the 2012 London Olympics.
Yes, the German superstar who captured the imagination of every basketball lover when he single handedly powered the Dallas Mavericks to a 4-2 series win over the mighty Miami Heat in the 2010-11 NBA Finals, failed to marshal the German past Lithuania in a do or die game in the second round of FIBA Eurobasket.
Needing a win by 11 points to make it to the quarter finals, Germany never came close after the first 8 minutes of the game.
For Dirk Nowitzki, it was a night to forget.
The Mavs big took 17 shots at the rim from the floor, but managed to covert only four and finished the game with meagre 11 points. With Nowitzki going cold, the Germans never came within a striking distance.
Fatigue was perhaps the reason that held back Nowitzki in the tournament and after the game; the distraught forward accepted the fact.
"It's my fault. I was not in condition to play a good tournament," said Nowitzki.
For Lithuania, it was a moment of sheer joy as they made their way to the last eight and with them being the hosts, they have a good chance of making the last six and get themselves a chance to reach the qualifying for the Olympic qualifying tournament that will be held in July.
They were led by Rimantas Kaukenas, who erupted with 19 points on the night. Toronto Raptors draft pick Jonas Valanciunas scored 15, including 9 in the crucial fourth quarter, in which Sarunas Jasikevicius also added 9 to ensure a victory. Jasikevicius finished the night with 17 points.
"We did an excellent job on Dirk Nowitzki, we wore him down," Lithuania coach Kestutis Kemzura said after the game. "Rebounds were important for us and coming up with steals."
Lithuania out rebounded the Germans 40-29 and on the night, they were joined by Serbia, who squeaked their way into the quarterfinals after stunning Turkey by a point (68-67).
The Serbians out shot (46.3 – 38.1), out rebounded (38 – 35) and out assisted (8 – 5) the Turks, but were nearly made to pay for their 13 turnover the night, but after bringing his team on the brink in the last second, Ersan Ilyasova missed the last shot of the game with 0.1 seconds to go.
Point guard Milos Teodosic led the Serbs with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assist while the Turks were led by Utah Jazz’s number three draft pick Enes Kanter with 11 points and 5 boards.
In another game, the defending champions Spain took on a French side playing without the services of San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker and the Chicago Bills centre Joakim Noah. Parker was rested while Noah is recovering from a calf injury.
Anyhow, without Parker and Noah, the French who entered the game as the only unbeaten side in the tournament were never a match for a well primed Spanish side.
Guard Juan Carlos Navarro led the Spaniard with 16 points, including a 4 on 4 shooting from the long range while Rudy Fernandez chipped in with 15 points for Spain. The Gasol brothers also combined for 20 points.
The game started on an even note and the two teams were separated by a single point at halftime (39-38). However, a 17-4 Spanish spurt in the third quarter put the game away for good and the defending champions rolled onto a 96-69 win.
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