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FROM INDY (DAY 10) - FAIRYTALE RUN END - BUT STILL FOURTH
PLACING
by Piet Van Hasselt
in Indianapolis, Indiana : USA
1. FAIRYTALE RUN ENDS – BUT STILL FOURTH
PLACING
The fairytale that was the Tall Blacks campaign at the
2002 FIBA World Championships ended in disappointment for
Coach Tab Baldwin and his history-making men, after being
defeated by Germany for the Bronze Medal at the Conseco
Fieldhouse.
While the team indicated they are disappointed with the
result, they should hold their heads high as they can now
claim to be the fourth best nation in a truly global
sport. Their performances over the past twelve months
have shown they can compete and beat the traditional
basketball superpowers, an outstanding achievement given
the smaller base of talent and international exposure
compared to other nations.
A 25-point display from the gifted Dirk Nowitzki spurred
the Germans out to a 74-48 lead by halftime, and the
Kiwis were not able to summon up another miracle comeback
on this occasion. Tall Black sharpshooter Phill Jones did
his best to keep the Kiwis in touch with 26 points in the
game, but the hot German shooting, 65% for the game with
13 three-point baskets, was proved to much to handle.
The New Zealanders also appeared to be emotionally tired,
understandably so, given the phenomenal amount of energy
they expended the night before against the Yugoslavs. The
Germans ran the ball at every opportunity outscoring the
Kiwis 30-5 in fast break points.
“I am greatly disappointed in the game today.
Germany played a great game, and they shot the ball very,
very well. Generally, 48 points would not be a bad thing
in a half for our team, but their 74 points were fatal.
The will and desire was there for our team today, but our
tanks were running on empty,” said Baldwin. But the
resiliency of the team was never a question: “These
guys never quit, they give it all. They’re a special
group,” said Baldwin.
“It is pretty tough to play against a team that was
shooting as well as Germany was. They had players that
stepped up when they needed to and were shooting
well,” added Jones.
The first quarter began well for the Kiwis jumping out to
a 21-15 lead with Jones slotting four long-bombs and the
team forcing three early turnovers. However the sleeping
giant was awoken when Nowitzki decided to impose his will
on the game and explode for 13 of Germany’s next 20
points to end the quarter up 35-27.
The Germans built on their scoring run of 17 unanswered
points to take an early 15-point lead in the second
quarter, which again belonged to Nowitzki. He used every
inch of his near seven feet to shoot over the top of
defenders, with his mid-range jumpers usually finding
nothing but net. Penney was able to just better
Nowitzki’s output in this quarter with 10 points,
but 18 points from the German bench proved the
difference.
New Zealand were able to improve on their defence in the
third quarter, restricting the Germans to 22 points but
unfortunately the shots weren’t dropping at the
other end.
In the final quarter, Germany rested three of their
starters and Baldwin gave his bench players experience
with Damon Rampton getting four points and four rebounds.
Cameron hit two three-pointers to add to his reputation
as the best shooting big man at the championships.
For Germany, Nowitzki accumulated 29 points, eight
rebounds and four assists from just 23 minutes on the
court. Forward Ademola Okulaja had another good all-round
game against the Kiwis with 21 points and 6 rebounds.
Cameron had a tournament-best eight assists to go with 13
points, four rebounds and three steals. The hard-working
Dillon Boucher had eight points, seven rebounds and five
assists from 18 minutes off the bench.
This was Germany’s first medal at a World
Championship and they were very pleased with their
achievement.
TALL BLACK SUPPORTERS: Probably the
largest contingent of Kiwis (around 100) was there to
witness the historic Tall Blacks in action. Hakas were
performed throughout the match, but it wasn’t enough
to overcome the large half-time deficit.
Burger King Tall Blacks 94 (Jones 26,
Penney 19, Cameron 13, Dickel 8, Boucher 8, Book 7,
Henare 5, Hickey 4, Rampton 4).
Germany 117 (Nowitzki 29, Okulaja 21,
Pesic 11, Demirel 10, Maras 10, Rodl 9, Lutcke 7,
Femerling 6, Nikagbatse 5, Arigbatu 4, Roller 3, Garris
2).
Rebounds: NZ 31 (Boucher 7, Jones 6, Rampton 5). Germany
33 (Nowitzki 8, Okulaja 6)
Assists: NZ 23 (Cameron 8, Boucher 5). Germany 32
(Demirel 7).
2. TAB LOOKS AHEAD
At the post-match press conference Coach Tab Baldwin took
time to try to reflect on the historic success at the
tournament. “There is no question of the pride that
we have gained representing New Zealand, the pride of
putting on the black singlet. We will grow from this
experience and be ready for 2004,” said Baldwin. NZ
will likely qualify for the 2004 Olympics as their high
placing has earned two spots for Oceania, with Australia
likely to fill the other place.
When asked about what the ramifications of the fourth
placing would mean to New Zealand, Baldwin commented:
“We will have to wait and see what the reaction is
from other countries. For us, it’s a high placing
and for those in our country, it is a surprise how well
we did. It will mean a huge respect for our team on the
international level, and it will hopefully open up many
opportunities for our athletes. We hope this leads to our
team having the opportunity to tour and play against
other top teams and also to get teams to come to play
against, which isn’t always the easiest thing to do
because of where we are located. The significance of this
tournament is massive for our country.”
He also had a message for those in the NZ basketball
community. “All of New Zealand basketball will have
to move to another gear to justify being involved in the
sport,” said Baldwin.
No doubt this achievement has opened up many
opportunities for the sport we all love, and I’m
sure that the public awareness of the Tall Blacks success
will grow into more recognition of all levels of
basketball in this country.
3. YUGOSLAVS WIN OVERTIME THRILLER
In a fitting final to a suspense-filled tournament,
Yugoslavia repeated as World Champions defeating
Argentina in overtime, 84-77. Yugoslav fans created a
cauldron-like atmosphere with various chants of
“Ser-bi-a” and “Yu-go-slavia”
throughout the game. The official attendance was 17,000,
probably more like 12,000, but it was easily the best at
the Conseco Fieldhouse this tournament. The game ebbed
and flowed with both teams experiencing leads, until a
14-2 run at the beginning of the third quarter moved
Argentina out to a 53-43 lead. But the heroics of
Yugoslav Dejan Bodiroga in the fourth quarter was the
spark the team needed to take the momentum of the game.
Bodiroga scored 19 points in the final quarter including
nine consecutive for Yugoslavia to take them from a 66-74
deficit with just over two minutes to play. Vlade Divac
had a chance to win the game with the scores locked at
75-all with just seconds remaining at the end of the
fourth quarter, but he missed both. Argentine guard Hugo
Sconochini then drove the length of the floor and
appeared to be bumped on a lay-up attempt, but no foul
was called so the game went into overtime. Argentina
spent the entire break complaining about the call, but it
was Yugoslavia who dominated the extra five minutes,
outscoring Argentina 9-2. Argentina did have a chance to
tie the game late, but it clanged off the rim, and
Yugoslavia took the gold medal.
4. FINAL PLACINGS
1. Yugoslavia (7 wins-2 losses)
2. Argentina (8-1)
3. Germany (6-3)
4. New Zealand (4-5)
5. Spain (7-2)
6. USA (6-3)
7. Puerto Rico (6-3)
8. Brazil (4-5)
9. Turkey (4-4)
10. Russia (3-5)
11. Angola (2-6)
12. China (1-7)
13. Canada (2-3)
14. Venezuela (1-4)
15. Algeria (1-4)
16. Lebanon (0-5)
5. OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT TEAM – P.C. IN ELITE
COMPANY
Guard: Emanuel “Manu” Ginobili (Argentina)
Guard: Peja Stojakovic (Yugoslavia)
Forward: Dirk Nowitzki (Germany)
Forward: Pero Cameron (New Zealand)
Centre: Yao Ming (China)
MVP: Nowitzki (Germany)
New Zealand’s Pero Cameron was named to the FIBA
Tournament team which had representatives from all four
of the semi finalists. Cameron is in elite company with
the other four either established stars in the American
NBA, or about to begin their first season. Cameron was
the rock for the Kiwis and despite giving up a lot of
height to opposition forwards and centres, held his own
on the defensive end and showed his versatility to
average 15.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per
game. Ginobili made a splash at the tournament and
despite a late injury costing him time in the final, his
explosive scoring displays were enough to make the team.
Stojakovic came up big in the later games for the
champion Yugoslavs and averaged 18.9 points for the
tournament. The all-round Nowitzki was also the
tournament MVP guiding his team to the bronze medal and
averaged 24.0 points and 8.2 rebounds. Ming showed his
enormous potential with strong games and shot an
incredible 75% from the field and averaged 21.0 points
and 9.3 rebounds per game.
6. UNOFFICAL AWARDS
Please find below some unofficial awards to best remember
the world champs. As the tournament team was announced by
FIBA (above), I’ve decided to name two more teams
that made an impact at the World Champs:
UNOFFICIAL SECOND TEAM:
PG: Mark Dickel (New Zealand) – “Sparky”
was third in the tournament in assists with a 4.6
average.
SG: Phill Jones (New Zealand) – Showed his
world-class shooting ability with excellent streaks and
averaged 18.2 points per game (9th) on 55% shooting.
SF: Dejan Bodiroga (Yugoslavia) – Came up big in the
final with 27 points.
PF: Pau Gasol (Spain) – Even a black eye
couldn’t stop this low-post threat from beating the
Americans to claim fifth.
C: Fabricio Oberto (Argentina) – A huge 28-point,
10-rebound effort in the final and shot 73% overall.
UNOFFICIAL THIRD TEAM:
PG: Juan Carlos Navarro (Spain) – Looked a classy
scorer from the point with a 14.6 average.
SG: Marcelo Machado (Brazil) – Was the go-to man for
the Brazilians down the stretch and scored a
buzzer-beating three to beat Turkey.
SF: Paul Pierce (USA) – The lone scoring option for
the US with 19.8 per game and shot 49% from three.
PF: Marcel Turkan (Turkey) – Averaged a
double-double in points (16.0) and rebounds (10.3) and
was always hustling on defence.
C: Vlade Divac (Yugoslavia) – Vlade can now retire
with two straight championships.
BEST COACH: Tab Baldwin (NZ) –
Without a doubt the best coach at the tournament. His
improvisation skills, creative and innovative strategies
and ability to make adjustments at the correct time were
often the difference. Credit must also go to assistant
Nenad Vucinic and video analyst Murray McMahon.
SURPRISE PACKAGES: NZ – Rated as an
outsider, but shocked the world when their discipline
allowed them to make three great comeback victories and
progress to a top-four spot. Angola – Had their best
ever finish at a World Champs. Puerto Rico – Beat
Spain and Yugoslavia in consecutive days and
would’ve made the semis if it hadn’t been for
the Tall Blacks.
BIGGEST UNDERACHIEVERS: USA – Not
expected to be bothered all the way to gold, but ended up
in sixth position and lost three of their last four
games. Turkey – Second place qualifiers from Europe
and had three NBA players struggled early and ended up
playing off for the lower places. China – While
inexperienced, they had just one win, but showed promise
for the future.
BEST FANS: NZ – About 80 or so
Kiwis travelled from all corners of the globe to see the
history making team in action. While being outnumbered by
almost every team at the tournament the Kiwis always
spurred on the Tall Blacks, no matter what the score.
Turkey (for the first week) – Over 3000 Turkish fans
from around the USA and from Turkey watched the first and
second round games of the disappointing Turkish team.
WORST FANS: USA – The fans from the
“Hoosier” state stayed away from the world
champs in their droves. Which was surprising when you
consider that this is the place where basketball
originated and 30 high schools in the state fill their
gyms with 5,000 fans per game each weekend.
MOST ARROGANT TEAM: USA – They
found that you can’t simply put a team together with
two weeks preparation and expect to beat a well-drilled
international side relying on raw athleticism and talent.
Their swagger and “highlight reel” style of
play didn’t go down with the US media – there
was one quote that they “disrespected the
game”.
PERSON I’D RATHER NOT BE: Coach
George Karl (USA) – While Karl will take a lot of
flak for the loss, it’s not 100% his fault the
Americans lost three games, but the US will want to find
their scapegoat. Also I loved his comments after the
losses – about it being a celebration of basketball!
BIGGEST WHINGER: Marcel Turkan (Turkey)
– Apparently he never committed a foul and at one
stage started up a mini-brawl at the Brazil bench when he
went over to sarcastically give a high five to a
Brazilian that had just fouled out – the Brazilian
bench didn’t like that much!
FUNNIEST MOMENT: When NBA referee David
Jones went over to the 10 or so Angolan fans and thanked
them for coming to the match-up with Russia – there
was probably only about 100 fans in the stadium!
BEST HALF-TIME ENTERTAINMENT: While
there was some over-kill in the early rounds with the
“Juggler of the Century” being used for almost
every game, the semis and finals entertainment was
top-class. They had a “quick change” magician
and some talented jump-rope demonstrations.
7. 24 TEAMS SLATED FOR FUTURE WORLD CHAMPS
In a press conference summarising the World Champs Boris
Stankovic, Secretary-General of FIBA, announced that
future world championships would be expanded to 24 teams
rather than 16, to demonstrate the global appeal of the
game. This will definitely happen by the 2010 champs and
may occur at the next world champs in 2006 in Tokyo,
Japan. Stankovic noted that this change could happen in
Tokyo, but only if venues and other arrangements can be
sorted out. This new format would have four groups of six
teams, who would play in a 5-game round-robin format, and
then progress straight into the Quarter/Semi/Finals
stages, thus omitting the second round. Stankovic also
said that the tournament would take longer and he
didn’t want teams playing more than two games in a
row – at this champs the semi finalists played nine
games over 11 days. This looks to be great news for NZ
basketball fans as it could be argued that the Oceania
region should have two representatives given the
excellent fourth placing at the World Champs and the past
Australian success. Stankovic also commented that the
development of the game of basketball in the world is
amazing and that the New Zealanders were the biggest
surprise of the tournament.
8. NZ KORU TEAM IN WOLLONGONG TOURNAMENT
Don’t forget the NZ Koru team is currently in
Australia playing in the Wollongong International
Tournament with three other teams. Rams Andrew Gardiner
and Terrence Lewis are over there and I’m sure this
team will do the country proud and continue the success
from the Tall Blacks.
Sep 11 - vs Wollongong Hawks - Australian NBL champs in
2001
Sep 12 - vs West Sydney Razorbacks - Australian NBL
runners-up in 2002
Sep 13 - vs Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius - Lithuania Champs
Sep 14 - Playoff game (Final & 3rd/4th places)
Please
feel free to forward this information to your basketball
friends. Newcomers can subscribe to Rams News by sending
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