National team at EM: full focus on Doncic: basketball players with a target semi -finals

Hotel discussions, confusion of coaches and an upcoming duel with superstar Luka Doncic: After a few turbulent days in Riga, the German basketball players want to focus on sporting and keep their dream of the first title alive for 32 years.

“When this press conference is over, everyone will only think of the game against Slovenia,” said interim coach Alan Ibrahimagic at the end of that memorable media round in the Latvian capital, in which the team around captain Dennis Schröder had expressed his full solidarity to the health -stricken national coach Alex Mumbru.

Ibrahimagic coaches the games

Mumbru stays with the team after his pancreatitis and will also sit on the bench in the quarter -finals against Slovenia against Slovenia (8:00 p.m./RTL and Magenta Sport). However, as with the successful group phase in the Finnish Tampere assistant coach Ibrahimagic, the responsibility was carried out – this had won five significant victories in the preliminary round.

The association hopes to have made clarity. The duel with Doncic and the Slovenes will show whether this is the case. So far, the world champions have not been able to take the swing and the lightness of tampers to Riga, instead there were many noise. Against Doncic and Co., the German basketball players, which are considered to be clear from the Serbs and French as a clear top favorite, now want to record.

“We will try to make the game quickly and trust our deep bank,” said Ibrahimagic and already called the main difference between Germany and Slovenia. While several players can take responsibility in the German team, the Slovenes practically only consist of exceptional Doncic.

The NBA superstar from the Los Angeles Lakers came to 42 points in the round of 16 against Italy. He reaches 30 points in the first half alone. Then the playmaker who was still not fully trained went out but the breath. In phases, Doncic also seemed struck. After the first quarter he even disappeared briefly in the cabin. “I needed treatment, but I will be ready,” said the 26-year-old.

Focus not only on the superstar

Because even against Germany, Doncic will have to carry the Slovenes alone again. The rest of the team lack quality. In preparation, Germany prevailed twice against the Slovenes, once with and once without Doncic.

The defense against the superstar will be a key to German success – but not the only one. “You can’t stop him. You have to find ways to beat the team,” said Maodo Lo of the ARD sports show. “Luka cannot win a game alone. We are not playing against Luka Doncic, but against Slovenia,” Ibrahimagic summarized the starting position.

In training in the arena, which has so far only been sparse at the games, the focus was therefore on the way of playing. At the end of the first round of 16 against outsider Portugal, Schröder and Co. had problems with speed and throw. The world champion wants to show his tampers face again against Slovenia. “Not everything can always run smoothly,” said leader Schröder unaffected. “We continue to believe in ourselves.”