No doubt frustrated by the defeat against Serbia and the elimination, Luol Deng focused on the refereeing. But we must especially salute the performances of South Sudan, which was not only the beautiful story of these Olympic Games. The Royal Ivey players were also real competitors.
They beat Puerto Rico and clearly did not disappoint against Team USA and then against Serbia, which ended their competition. For a young basketball nation, that is exceptional, and that is what Svetislav Pesic took away.
“It was a fantastic game, a great show. South Sudan is a special team, probably playing the basketball of the future. No doubt about that,” assures the Serbian coach. “This is how basketball will be played in ten years. It won't be ice hockey, but a fast game. They have a huge mental strength, which is essential, in addition to the technical and tactical elements. It's hard to dominate them, they had two fantastic games against Team USA that blew their confidence.”
And against Serbia since Bogdan Bogdanovic and his teammates needed 35 minutes to make the difference… “If we had made our free throws, we would have concluded more quickly”says Svetislav Pesic. “We won when it was tough, and I liked that.”
Next up for Serbia is a quarter-final against Australia. “They are a tough rival, one of the best teams. They play fast, have NBA players, huge experience, unlike South Sudan. They have been playing together for years, have a real team, with real continuity.”analyzes the coach.
