Of the eight teams still in contention in this World Cup, Europe is largely represented with no less than six countries alongside the two North American representatives (United States and Canada). Among them, two Baltic nations: the Lithuania and the Latvia.
If the first, 8th in the FIBA ranking, was more expected at this stage of the competition, the second, 29th, defied the odds by starting to leave France in the first round, despite the absence of its best player, Kristaps Porzingis , before offering the scalp of the Spaniards. Without Dairis Bertans, his captain…
The accession of these two teams to the quarter-finals of the competition demonstrates the dynamism of these sparsely populated basketball lands – less than 3 million inhabitants for Lithuania and less than two million for its neighbor – where this sport is almost religious office.
“ These are our ‘braljukas’ as they say. They are our brothers! Demographically, we have the same number of inhabitants, which is not huge. And now we’re both in the top eight. It’s huge for us. I’m very happy for them and I think they’re happy for us too », enthuses the Latvian leader, Arturs Zagarswithout forgetting to mention the existing rivalry between the two nations: It’s mutual, until we play against them. »
The first winners of the Euro
” No matter how intense there may have been during our friendly match in preparation (note: Lithuania won by 24 points), we continued to support them. We have friends and acquaintances there. When you watch a match, you always support the underdog », adds the Lithuanian Mindaugas Kuzminskas.
A status that Latvia has enjoyed since the start of the competition. Asked about the biggest surprise of the tournament, the Lithuanian pivot Jonas Valanciunas is not mistaken: ” Probably our brothers. They play basketball well, they play with confidence. They beat teams like France and Spain, the basketball they play is really good. »
To the point of inviting themselves to the table of the big ones when the two finalists of the last Euro, who fell in front of her, are no longer there. Not bad for a first World Cup appearance. Not qualified for the last European championship, after its beautiful 5th place obtained during the 2017 edition, Latvia returns to the front of the stage by reminding everyone that it was the very first nation to win the Euro, in 1935…
Lithuania had won the next two editions (1937 and 1939), the second of which was to the detriment of its neighbour. Since that time, the Lithuanian nation has won many medals and shone on the international stages, where the Latvian little sister was more in the background, while still remaining more visible than the third Baltic state, Estonia (44th in the ranking FIBA).
“ It’s amazing for us. We are like brother countries. To be in the top eight of the World Cup is something extraordinary “, marvels Rokas Jokubaitis, whose team must pass the Serbian obstacle tomorrow, while Latvia will face the German ogre. The big Baltic party is not over yet.
