Germany is used to winning World Cups, just not for basketball. Thanks to 28 points from Dennis Schroder, Germany captured its first-ever FIBA World Cup gold medal, defeating Serbia 83-77. Canada also beat Team USA in the bronze medal game thanks to a strong performance from Dillon Brooks.
Here are three key takeaways from the final day of FIBA World Cup action.
Three Points: Germany runs the table, Serbia has a lot to look forward to, and Dillon Brooks is a hero
Germany goes 8-0 to capture 2023 FIBA World Cup gold medal
This Germany squad is special. This gold medal isn't some one-off from a flukey summer hot streak, this is real. Dennis Schroder, Andreas Obst, Franz Wagner, Daniel Theis, Mo Wagner, and their entire roster is set to be a force to be reckoned with in international basketball for as long as they want to be.
Before we even dive into today's final, look at their run in this tournament. Among their eight wins are victories over Australia, Slovenia, a red-hot Latvia, Team USA, and then Serbia. This gold medal is a we're better than everyone gold medal, and not luck of the draw.
Their win over Serbia today for the gold medal was truly the cherry on top of the sundae for this summer and capped off one of the best end-to-end FIBA performances in history. Schroder and Wagner led the way today with 28 and 19 points each, and their star power gave Germany what they needed to prevail. Once again, they showed that what makes this team special is their adaptability, their innate ability to beat opponents in a multitude of ways.
Schroder and Wagner getting to their spots via pick-and-rolls, attacking closeouts, and getting downhill is their preference but if you take that away they've got plenty in their bag. They can start running Andreas Obst off pindowns. They can put Theis and/or Johannes Voigtmann in the post and punish you down low, or they can even put either of those guys on the perimeter or in the mid-post to create offense that way.
In the first quarter of the final, Theis attacked a closeout with an up-fake and then finished with a floater. He also caught the ball in the mid-post and found Voigtmann for a dunk with a nice bounce pass. How many teams have bigs with that much versatility? Not Team USA this summer, that's for sure.
When Serbia brought Aleksa Avramovic into the game and had him apply heavy ball pressure to Schroder, the Germans said no problem. They brought Maodo Lo and Isaac Bonga into the game to add secondary handlers to keep the offense moving. For all the talent Canada had, they didn't have a solution when the ball was forced out of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's hands.
Germany can change on the fly on defense too. They experimented with a 1-2-2 full-court defense back into a 2-3 zone against Serbia. At the start of the game in man-to-man, they put Schroder on Bogdanovic to use his speed to chase him around screens and then moved Bonga onto him when he checked into the game to bother him with his athleticism.
This Germany squad is deep, versatile, well-rounded, and talented. They have an answer for anything a team may throw at them, and as a reminder, Wagner is still only 22 years old. They also didn't have Maxi Kleber this summer. Today may have been Germany's first-ever FIBA World Cup gold medal, but it's likely far from their last.
Serbia's silver medal should spark plenty of optimism
Serbia is a basketball powerhouse. From Nikola Jokic to Vlade Divac and Dejan Bodiroga, they produce some of the best players in the world consistently and whether they're public about it or not, they always expect to compete for the gold medal. It's the attitude they carry with them in every game. They don't just think they can beat anybody else in the world, they know they can beat anybody else in the world.
They sent that message loud and clear with their resounding semifinal victory over Canada. They were in the gold medal game without reigning NBA champion and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and two-time Euroleague MVP Vasilije Micic, plus plenty of other players who would've warranted minutes on this team.
Too much of our pre-tournament analysis of Serbia focused on who wasn't going to be there, instead of recognizing how much damage they could still do with who was there. They are only going home with the silver medal this summer even though Bogdan Bogdanovic and Aleksa Avramovic combined for nearly 40 points today, but a reminder that similar to Team USA, there's a chance only 4-5 players from this summer's squad are playing in Paris next summer.
Think about Avramovic and Stefan Jovic. Both had great tournaments that would often warrant automatic inclusion in Serbia's squad for the 2024 Olympics. But what if Micic and Milos Teodosic want to play next summer? Are you saying no to one of them? Or cutting one of your gazillion-talented wings? If not, they can't both make the team. Serbia came up short today, but they are well-positioned to fight for the Olympic gold medal next summer.
Is Dillon Brooks entering his hero arc?
Dillon Brooks's nickname is the villain. A namesake earned due to his trash-talking -- particularly towards LeBron James in last season's playoffs, and his obvious lack of self-awareness, such as calling himself the best perimeter defender in the world.
Brooks was told by the Memphis Grizzlies this summer that he would not be welcome back "under no circumstances." Even in the Philippines for the FIBA World Cup, his presence, the mention of his name, or the slightest touch of the ball drew a collective booing like Santa Claus in Philadelphia.
Today though, Brooks is a hero. He finished with 39 points, seven 3-pointers, five assists, and four rebounds to lead Canada to an overtime victory over Team USA that gave Canada its first medal in international basketball in 87 years. The victory over Team USA makes this game the official start of a North American rivalry between the two neighboring countries.
Canada may have only finished with bronze this summer, but they are in their golden generation and will be a competitor for the top spot at international competitions for the next decade at a minimum. For arguably the first time in their history, Team USA is not the best team even on their own continent, let alone the world. We've got Brooks, and Dennis Schroder to thank for that.
2023 FIBA World Cup Line of the Day:
Dillon Brooks 39 points and 7 three-pointers. He only missed one three, just an incredible shooting performance by the Houston Rockets new starting wing for next season.
2023 FIBA World Cup Play of the Day:
Canada and Team USA was one for the ages, and this Mikal Bridges 3 to force overtime was the peak of the game.
2023 FIBA World Cup Quote of the Day:
No words, just Germany head coach Gordon Herbert finally letting all the pressure out, and taking all the success in. This is how hard it is to win a championship.
What's coming tomorrow at the 2023 FIBA World Cup?
That's a wrap! Our final, final note, thank you to everyone who followed our coverage of this summer's FIBA World Cup. Make sure you stay tuned here as we'll be covering the international game, mainly Euroleague, all season long.
