Three days. That's what the Serbs have in front of them to turn the page on this painful opening match: a 26-point defeat against the Americans, which currently confines them to last place in Group C.
A few days earlier, Svetislav Pesic had already put the significance of this first meeting into perspective. At the end of the latter, the Serbian coach, quoted by BasketNewsrecidivism : ” We expected such a match. »
A game where the Serbs played eye to eye with the NBA superstars for a long time. After all, at the end of the first half, Team USA was only leading by 9 units (58-49). A lesser evil for Nikola Jokic's teammates because Kevin Durant and LeBron James had not yet missed a single shot!
” For the first 20 minutes or so, we had control, especially when we were executing our offensive schemes. It's hard to execute everything as planned, especially against a strong team. They were exceptional at defending on the ball and were physical. “, notes Svetislav Pesic.
The big gap with Nikola Jokic on the bench
No doubt a reference to the end of the third quarter which turned into a rout for the Serbs. We think for example of this muscular interception by LeBron James in front of a too tender Nikola Jovic, before a counter-attack finish with just as much power from the “King”.
We also think about the difficulties for the Balkan players to express themselves in attack when Nikola Jokic was not on the court, as at the end of the period. The absences of the team's playmaker were fatal, and perfectly exploited by the Americans.
81-81 when the three-time MVP was on the court, and a terrible… 29-3 when he was on the bench.
Serbia was on the even playing field with Nikola Jokic being on the court versus Team USA #Paris2024
WITH JOKIC | 81-81
WITHOUT JOKIC | 3-29 pic.twitter.com/eEagSs7T6L— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) July 28, 2024
” As long as we stayed in our systems, we were good. As soon as we deviated from them, we took premature shots, and our outside shots were not typical for us. “, notes the coach on the low offensive production of his team after the break (35 points) and the difficulty in generating good shots.
And then there is American talent, the impressive individual quality ” of each one as Vasilije Micic says. ” But it's not a surprise. It's not easy to play against them, but we weren't that bad. We started with a lot of energy, we had to stay calm and keep fighting.“, the leader explains.
Bouncing back against Puerto Rico
Insufficient against this American team which largely compensated for its clumsiness with the ball in hand (17 balls lost) with enormous 3-point shooting (18/32).
To continue their Olympic adventure, the Serbs must now address the issues of Puerto Rico and South Sudan. Neither a win nor a loss against the Americans changes anything. We still have two group games to play to qualify for the quarter-finals. It won't be easy. We have to focus on our game and prepare accordingly. “, demands Svetislav Pesic.
And if the idea of crossing paths with the Americans again is desired by Vasilije Micic, the coach is once again distancing himself: ” We are not thinking about the Americans at all, our goal is to win the next match. Each opponent will have an extra motivation. We have to take things in hand, correct what we did not do well today and move forward. »
The meeting is set for this Wednesday, at 5:15 p.m., against Jose Alvarado and Puerto Rico.
Photo FIBA.com
