2010 FIBA World Championship
The World Basketball Championship was held in Turkey from August 28 to September 12
. It was a very interesting tournament, with lots of great moves, but also a lot of controversy. It was the third time that there were 24 competing nations, and the group stage was thus held in four cities (Ankara, Izmir, Kayseri and Istanbul), and the knockout round was played in Istanbul but in a different sports hall. In the end, this was the standings: 1.USA 2.Turkey 3.Lithuania 4. Serbia 5.Argentina 6.Spain 7.Russia 8.Slovenia 9.Brazil 10.Australia 11.Greece 12.New Zealand 13.France 14.Croatia 15.Angola 16.China 17.Germany, Puerto Rico, Iran, Lebanon 18. Cte d'Ivoire, Canada, Jordan, Tunisia.
Despite arriving with a practically reserve team, the Americans took the gold without a loss on the tournament. After 16 years (last time they won was in 1994) they were the basketball champions again. The only ones who gave them some trouble were the Brazilians, way back in the group stage, but they eventually beat them too. Now, I ask you, how could the just ease through the entire tournament like that? Of course, I am not trying to diminish their success, far from it. Congratulations to them and to their great achievement. But how is it that they could be so dominant over other teams, with, everyone will agree, a reserve basketball team (King James was not in the squad, I think that qualifies as a b team, we all know his potential). Is the rest of the world so far behind them that they just cannot compete? What is it that they do differently? Of course, in many of the countries that played the tournament the basketball is not so well supported as it is in the USA. Maybe that is what this is, what it all takes is a little more encouragement.
Now, on to the controversy. The Serbia coach, Dusan Ivkovic was particularly "hit" by some decisions, and was probably the one who had the most right to complain. Before the tournament even begin there were a couple of suspicious actions going on. Some 10 days before the start of the tournament the was another one, a warm up competition, shall we say, in Athens. Both Greece and Serbia took place, and during their match, in the last 3 minutes, a fight broke out. Now, I will not mention any names, and of course I will not justify what those players have done. The game was eventually cancelled, and two players of each side were suspended for a couple of first games on the tournament. The thing was, this was announced less than 48 hours before the beginning of the tournament, and it is possible to change players two days before the start. The coaches of both teams, Jonas Kazlauskas and Dusan Ivkovic were both critical of FIBA, because they had more than a week to make the decision but had not done so.
And last but not least, a problem for any sport I suppose, the referees. There were many referee mistakes, but such are made also, they are only human, but some were so ridiculous for basketball standards that many of us were wondering if it was fixed or are the referees really that dumb. All this culminated during the semifinal game between Turkey, the hosts, and Serbia (kind of looks like they are the bad guys here, but it is not true). The Serbia coach demanded an apology after the tournament, and the resignation of some of the members of FIBA which he held responsible. Nothing will probably come out of that, because such small nations do not have really and influence, but it still leaves a bitter taste. Of course, I am not blaming the Turkey basketball players, they probably had nothing to do with that. But it was not just that game that had weird referees decisions, there were others, many others.
In the end, it was still an enjoyment to watch the
World Basketball Tournament, which had some great moves, especially from the Americans, who showed the world all their talent and knowledge, some heartbreaking finishes to games and some things that should be looked into.
2010 FIBA World Championship
By: Mislav
How To Be A Strong Negotiator? Divine Intervention To A Non-believer Of The Spiritual World Show Off Your Spark With The Aid Of Kauai Smile Center Сиаура Подготовит Спортсмена К Соревнованиям И Реабилитирует Его После How To Deal With Slab Leaks A AÇÃO COLEGIADA E A GESTÃO DEMOCRÁTICA NA EDUCAÇÃO Timeshare Exchange The Importance Of Flossing Famous Los Angeles Nightlife 5 Big Benefits Of Green Cleaning Take Advantage of our Specials! Новая Концепция Развития Медицины 21 Века Why You Should Do A Detox Cleanse On A Regular Basis