There’s another World Cup coming up this year, and it’s not about that sport where you kick the ball around. From August 30 to September 14, the world’s best basketball players will gather in Spain to compete in the prestigious 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, formerly known as FIBA World Championship. Read more about this groundbreaking basketball event below.
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FIBA World Cup Preview and Predictions
Key Storylines
How will U.S.A. perform minus some of its stars?
[sc:Other240banner ]Twenty years ago, the U.S.A. could send a roster equivalent to today’s Milwaukee Bucks with a Vinny Del Negro-like coach to the FIBA World Cup, and still blast each opponent on their way to winning the Naismith Trophy.
But that’s not how it works these days. The distance between the rest of the world and the Americans in terms of talent and skill has since narrowed . That Bucks team is now supposed to be a collection of NBA All-Stars, and instead of Del Negro, the U.S. has to tap the service of a Mike Krzyzewski.
And before, it wasn’t much of an issue as it is today when key players pull out of the lineup because, really, there’s no team who could have held the candle to even second-string American NBA players.
Now, the absences of Kevin Love, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and Paul George, among others, are causing some concerns for the U.S.A.
Can Coach K’s team develop the right chemistry just in time, especially if he’s going to plug in some of the holes with players who have questionable traits like Rudy Gay or DeMarcus Cousins with only a couple of weeks left before the tournament? The door is open even wider than usual for other basketball nations hungry to take down the top dogs.
Which team will pose the biggest challenge to the Americans?
It’s the running question every time the U.S. sends an all-NBA squad to a major international basketball event. Since 2002, the Americans have been beaten three times: by Argentina, Yugoslavia, and Greece.
In this year’s edition of the tournament, teams who are good bets to give some semblance of resistance to the U.S. are Lithuania, Spain, Greece, and Brazil. All of these teams boast of an established basketball presence in Europe and South America and of rosters reinforced by NBA players. In Group C, where the U.S.A. will be playing the first round, their stiffest competition may come from Turkey and Ukraine.
Favorites
U.S.A. Even without the NBA’s MVP and several other stars, the Americans are the favorites to win it all. Derrick Rose, Anthony Davis, James Harden, and Stephen Curry will all suit up for the red, white, and blue, and the team has an experienced coach in Mike Krzyzewski. You can pencil the U.S. into the semifinal for sure – how they fare beyond that will be down the to way this particular group of guys can work together.
Spain.
Outside of the United States, Spain has arguably the best roster from top to bottom. Their frontline of Pau and Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka might even be better than what the Americans have up front, and it won’t to be a surprise if they pound the ball inside and let these big dudes do the work.
What’s scarier is the fact that Spain managed to top almost every basic team statistical categories in last year’s EuroBasket even without the elder Gasol and Ibaka. Spain finished the tournament as No. 1 in points (78.3 PPG), assists (17.1 APG), allowed points (62.8 PPG), and No. 3 in rebounds (38.7 RPG). Bring Pau Gasol and the Oklahoma Thunder big man into the mix, and Spain will enter the FIBA World Cup with a fearsome collection of talents.
Playmaking won’t be a problem either, as Spain’s backcourt made up of Ricky Rubio – led the team in EuroBasket with 3.4 APG – Jose Calderon, and Juan Carlos Navarro have all played in the NBA and could hold their ground against any other guards in the tournament.
Lithuania. Lithuania, like any other European team, has a knack of hitting outside shots, but they’re counting on more than just long-range missiles at the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
The Lithuanians are led by their big men, starting with Jonas Valanciunas and Donatas Motiejunas.Valanciunas is coming off a breakout season in the NBA. He averaged 11.3 PPG and 8.8 RPG in 88 total games with the Toronto Raptors. In the 2013 EuroBasket, Valanciunas led the team with 5.2 RPG, but more will be asked from the big man as stars Linas Kleiza and Robertas Javtokas have both begged off national team duties in the World Cup because of injuries.
That said, Motiejunas will have big shoes to fill, as he attempts to fill in for Kleiza, who was named a member of last year’s EuroBasket’s All-Tournament team.
Another player to watch out for in coach Jonas Kazlauskas’ squad is guard Mantas Kalnietis, who led the team in scoring (12.1 PPG) and assists (5.0) at the the 2013 EuroBasket.
Below is the list of locations where the group stage games are going to be played from August 30- to September 4.
Group A: Palacio Municipal de Deportes de Granada, Granada
Group B: Palacio Municipal de Deportes San Pablo, Seville
Group C: Bizkaia Arena, Barakaldo
Group D: Gran Canaria Arena, Las Palmas
Date
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
August 30
Egypt vs. Serbia
France vs. Brazil
Iran vs. Spain
Croatia vs. Philippines
Puerto Rico vs. Argentina
Greece vs. Senegal
Ukraine vs. Dominican Republic
New Zealand vs.Turkey
United States vs. Finland
Angola vs. South Korea
Australia vs.Slovenia
Mexico vs.Lithuania
August 31
Serbia vs. France
Brazil vs. Iran
Spain vs. Egypt
Argentina vs. Croatia
Senega vs.Puerto Rico
Philippines vs.Greece
Dominican Republic vs.New Zealand
Finland vs. Ukraine
Turkey vs.United States
South Korea vs. Australia
Slovenia vs. Mexico
Lithuania vs. Angola
September 1
Iran vs. Serbia
France vs. Egypt
Brazil vs. Spain
Philippines vs. Puerto Rico
Senegal vs. Argentina
Greece vs. Croatia
Ukraine vs. Turkey
United States vs.New Zealand
Finland vs. Dominican Republic
Angola vs. Mexico
Australia vs. Lithuania
South Korea vs. Slovenia
September 3
Egypt vs. Iran
Serbia vs. Brazil
Spain vs. France
Philippines vs. Puerto Rico
Senegal vs. Argentina
Greece vs. Croatia
New Zealand vs. Ukraine
Turkey vs.Finland
Dominican Republic vs.United States
Mexico vs.Australia
Slovenia vs. Angola
Lithuania vs. South Korea
September 4
Brazil vs. Egypt
Iran vs. France
Serbia vs. Spain
Senegal vs. Philippines
Croatia vs.Puerto Rico
Argentina vs. Greece
Finland vs.New Zealand
Ukraine vs.United States
Turkey vs. Dominican Republic
Australia vs.Angola
South Korea vs. Mexico
Lithuania vs.Slovenia
Key Games per Group
Group A – Spain vs. France (September 3)
This is a rematch of last year’s EuroBasket testy semifinals game, where Tony Parker scored 32 points to lead the French outclass then defending champion Spain in overtime, 75-72. The Spaniards, however, were without the services of Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro in that game. The two will play this time around, in what could be the best game of the group.
Group B – Argentina vs. Greece (September 4)
Argentina and Greece are missing some of their biggest stars, so the draw here is the possibility of it becoming either team’s last chance to advance to the next round.
Group C – Turkey vs. U.S.A. (August 31)
In 2010, Turkey lost to the Americans in the finals of the FIBA World Championship, 81-64. Since then, the Turkish haven’t had a podium finish in any major basketball tournaments. Still, this will be Team U.S.A.’s first true test in the World Cup.
Group D – Australia vs. Lithuania (August 31)
Even without Patty Mills (injury), the Boomers will have a terrific backcourt composed of Matthew Dellavedova of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Dante Exum, who was drafted fifth overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. They’ll be up against an experienced bunch in the Lithuanians, whose depth will pose a series of problems for the team from the Land Down Under.
