When Dennis Schroder took the throw-in, Tyrese Haliburton was already behind due to screens. The American then threw himself on Andreas Obst who, once he had the ball, only needed a fake 3-point shot to eliminate his opponent. The latter found himself on the ground after slipping, widening the shooting window for the German.
He was thus able to convert his 4th winning basket of the evening and give his team a four-point lead, one minute from the end of this semi-final against the Americans. It was neither more nor less than the most important basket of a match ultimately won by Germany.
His semi-final is not just about this decisive action. Throughout the game, he made the American defense suffer with the quality of his shooting, his play without the ball but also his fixations. The leader of the Pacers can attest to this: he often found himself behind the shooter due to difficulties in fighting against opposing screens and the speed of movement of Andreas Obst.
On arrival, an offensive explosion that we didn’t expect from the guy who grew up under the posters of Dirk Nowitzki: 24 points (6/11 on shots including 4/8 from distance) and 6 assists in 31 minutes. More than double his average in the competition with just under 11 points per match (49% on shots including 46% from distance).
An “Obstacle” for Team USA
“ I’ve been playing with him since I was 16, so I know what he’s capable of. And they must erect a statue to him “, already demanded Johannes Thiemann whose teammate was named player of the match, and even received chants of “ MVP! » from the public. “ We knew he was a shooter, a sniper. The game plan was to rule him out, he ended up getting through it tonight », could regret Anthony Edwards.
“ Andy is in my opinion one of the best FIBA shooters. He doesn’t just shoot. He can dribble, create the play. But the most important thing with Andy is that he creates space for Franz Wagner and Dennis Schroder. Obviously, he had a huge match tonight. I think you’ve seen his evolution since last year’s Euro. He is more than a shooter, he becomes a good defender », Estimates his coach Gordon Herbert.
His player had already had the opportunity to show off his skill during the previous major international meeting, averaging nearly 12 points with a 48% success rate from afar in less than 20 minutes of play. No player in the tournament European had moreover converted more winning shots.
“ It’s simply incredible. It is extremely difficult to be a shooter, whose qualities everyone knows, and to continue shooting like that. », enthuses Franz Wagner, whose teammate has had seasons around 40% at 3-points with his club, Bayern Munich.
In the wake of his double exploit, personal and collective, the person concerned had difficulty realizing: “ I have no words to describe what we accomplished today. Tonight is simply incredible for basketball, German basketball. It was really difficult, and it means a lot to the band. We fought every moment and we are now happy to be in the final. »
