2010 FIBA World Championship knockout stage

The knockout stage of the 2010 FIBA World Championship
2010 FIBA World Championship
The 2010 FIBA World Championship, hosted by Turkey, was the international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from August 28 to September 12, 2010. It was co-organized by the International Basketball Federation , Turkish Basketball Federation and the...

commenced play on September 4, 2010. The teams that finished fourth or higher at their respective preliminary round groups qualify for the knockout stage; the knockout stage is a modified single-elimination tournament

Single-elimination tournament

A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...

, with a third–place game for the losers of the semifinals. The teams played all of their games at Sinan Erdem Dome, Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

, Turkey.

Eliminated teams at the quarterfinals played for fifth to eighth places, the loser of the first round play for seventh place, while the winners play for fifth place.

In order to give each contest more ticket sales, more TV coverage and more media coverage, the Local Organizing Committee proposed the measure to FIBA to extend the eighth-finals (round of 16)'s schedule to last four days instead of the previously done two days as was done

2006 FIBA World Championship

The 2006 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Japan from August 19 to September 3, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation , Japan Basketball Association and the 2006 Organizing Committee...

in Saitama

Saitama, Saitama

' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...

. FIBA accepted the proposal.

All times local (UTC+3
UTC+3
UTC+03:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +03. In ISO 8601 the associated time would be written as . This time is used in:-East Africa Time:*Comoros*Djibouti*Eritrea*Ethiopia*Kenya*Madagascar...

)

Championship Bracket

Consolation Bracket

Serbia vs. Croatia

The first eighth-final round match-up pitted two former Yugoslav

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...

republics against each other as Group A winner Serbia

Serbia national basketball team

The Serbian national basketball team represents Serbia in international basketball matches....

met Group B fourth place finisher Croatia

Croatia national basketball team

The Croatian national basketball team represents Croatia at international tournaments. It is organized by the Croatian Basketball Federation...

, the first meeting for the teams in a major international tournament. Serbia prevailed 73–72 in a back-and-forth battle that neither team led by more than eight points at any point during the game. Milan Mačvan

Milan Macvan

Milan Mačvan is a Serbian professional basketball player for KK Partizan, on loan from Maccabi Tel Aviv. He is 6' 9" tall and he weighs 265 lbs....

, Serbia's youngest player at age 20, drained a three-pointer to extend Serbia's lead to 64–57 with 4:24 remaining before Croatia began a late comeback to pull within one at 68–67 with 24 seconds left in the game. Aleksandar Rašić

Aleksandar Rašić

Aleksandar Rašić is a Serbian professional basketball player. He is currently playing for BC Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania.-External links:*...

hit two free throws to extend the lead to three with 21 seconds left before Croatia's Marko Popović

Marko Popovic (born 1982)

Marko Popović is a Croatian professional basketball player of Serbian descent. He is a 1.85 m and 86 kg point guard...

answered with two free throws of his own with 15 seconds left. Marko Tomas

Marko Tomas

Marko Tomas is a Croatian professional basketball player. Currently, he is a member of the pro club Fenerbahçe Ülker.-Pro career:...

then stole the ensuing inbounds pass and dished to Popović, who was fouled with 11 seconds left. Popović made only one of two free throws to tie the game at 70 and set up a dramatic finish.

Serbia freed Rašić with a screen on the ensuing inbounds pass and he made an uncontested layup with nine seconds left. Popović was then fouled with 5.9 seconds left, and hit both free throws to tie the game at 72. Serbia inbounded the ball to Rašić, who drove downcourt and was fouled by Croatia's Davor Kus

Davor Kus

Davor Kus is a professional basketball player from Croatia currently playing for Cibona Zagreb. His natural position is point guard, although he can also feature as a shooting guard.-Player profile:...

while attempting an off-balance shot with one second left. Rašić made the first and missed the second free throw to give Serbia a one-point victory. Rašić ended up with 15 points, including eight in the fourth quarter and five in the final 21 seconds. Croatia's Popović led all scorers with 21 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists. The Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....

's Nenad Krstić

Nenad Krstic

Nenad Krstić is a Serbian professional basketball player for CSKA Moscow. Krstić is officially listed at 7'0" tall.-KK Partizan:...

scored a team-high 16 points for Serbia.

Spain vs. Greece

The second game of the knockout phase was a rematch of the 2006 FIBA World Championship

2006 FIBA World Championship

final between Spain and Greece. Like the previous meeting, Spain prevailed, winning 80–72 over the Greeks. The game was tight for three quarters and Greece led by one entering the final quarter before Spain used an 18–6 run to pull away. Spain switched from a man-to-man defense to a zone defense to begin the fourth quarter, and Greece could not take advantage, missing nine of 12 three-pointers in the period. Juan Carlos Navarro

Juan Carlos Navarro (basketball)

Juan Carlos Navarro Feijoo , nicknamed "La Bomba" , is a Spanish professional basketball player...

scored a game-high 22 points and Ricky Rubio

Ricky Rubio

Ricard "Ricky" Rubio Vives is a Spanish professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association . Rubio became the youngest player ever to play in the Spanish ACB League on October 15, 2005, at age 14...

dished out six assists for Spain in the victory. Nikolaos Zisis scored 16 points for Greece in the loss.

With the victory, Spain has now eliminated Greece in the knockout stage of each of the last two FIBA World Championship

FIBA World Championship

The FIBA World Championship is an international basketball competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation , the sport's global governing body...

and Eurobasket

Eurobasket

The EuroBasket, also referred to as the FIBA European Basketball Championship, is the main basketball competition contested biennially by the men's national teams governed by FIBA Europe, the European zone within the International Basketball Federation. The championship was first held in 1935 and...

tournaments. Spain owns a five-game winning streak over the Greeks in major international competitions. This represents a reversal of the previous situation, as Greece had defeated Spain in the four previous major international competitions where the two teams had played against each other (1998 FIBA World Championship

1998 FIBA World Championship

The 1998 FIBA World Championship was the 13th FIBA World Championship, an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation and hosted in Athens, Greece from July 29 to August 9, 1998...

, Eurobasket 1995

EuroBasket 1995

EuroBasket 1995 final tournament stage was XXIX European basketball championship and was held in Athens, Greece from 21 June to 2 July, 1995. This European championship was the first one that saw the successful return of Lithuania national basketball team to the tournament, since its last triumph...

, Eurobasket 1993

EuroBasket 1993

-Venues:-First round:-A - Karlsruhe:-B - Berlin:-C - Karlsruhe:-D - Berlin:-Second round:-E - Karlsruhe:-F - Berlin:-Finals in Munich:-Places 5-8 in Munich:-Finals in Munich:-Final rankings:# # #...

and 1990 FIBA World Championship

1990 FIBA World Championship

The 1990 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Argentina from August 8 to August 20, 1990.The competition final phase was held at the Luna Park, Buenos Aires.Yugoslavia emerged as the tournament winner...

), while the last Greek victory over Spain was in a friendly in Madrid in September, 2005. Following the loss, Greek basketball icon Dimitris Diamantidis

Dimitris Diamantidis

Dimitris Diamantidis is a Greek professional basketball player. Standing at 1.98 m , Diamantidis mainly plays at the point guard position, but he also has the ability to play as a shooting guard, as well as to assume the small forward position, being utilized as a point forward...

– widely acknowledged as one of the best players in the country's history – announced his retirement from the national team.

Slovenia vs. Australia

In the third game of the knockout round, Slovenia cruised over Australia in an 87–58 victory. Australia stumbled out of the gate, falling behind 12–0, and never mounted a challenge against the Group B runner-up Slovenes. By halftime, Australia had nine turnovers while only making six field goals on 22% field goal shooting as Slovenia opened up a 21-point halftime lead. The Aussies were not much better in the second half, finishing 18 of 58 (31 percent) from the field and 2 of 19 from the three-point line. Slovenia, meanwhile, shot 16 of 33 from three-point range, led by Jaka Lakovič

Jaka Lakovic

Jaka Lakovič is a Slovenian professional basketball player of Serbian descent. A dynamic 186 cm tall point guard...

's 19 points on 5-of-11 three-point shooting. Goran Dragić added 10 points and 8 assists and all twelve Slovenian players scored as they rolled into the quarterfinal round.

With the victory, Slovenia reached the Quarterfinals in the FIBA World Championship

FIBA World Championship

for the first time in their short history, while Australia was knocked out in the Round of 16 for the second consecutive tournament.

Turkey vs. France

Host Turkey prevailed in the day's second big blowout, beating France 95–77. Like Slovenia before them, Turkey never trailed in becoming the fourth consecutive higher-seeded team to advance to the quarterfinals. The Turks used a 21–4 run during the second and third quarters to open up a 15-point halftime lead and a 26-point third quarter lead en route to the 18-point victory. A capacity crowd was out in full force for Turkey, spending most of the second half singing in unison. Turkey guard Sinan Güler

Sinan Güler

Sinan Güler is a Turkish professional basketball player currently playing for Anadolu Efes. He is son of retired basketball player Necati Güler and younger brother of basketball player Muratcan Güler....

"got the shivers" from the crowd, and fed off the energy with 17 points and three assists. Hedo Türkoğlu

Hidayet Türkoglu

Hidayet "Hedo" Türkoğlu is a Turkish professional basketball player in the NBA currently playing for the Orlando Magic. He plays the small forward position, although he has played four positions in his career...

was the star for Turkey, scoring 21 points, including four of seven from three-point range, in only 25 minutes of action. Boris Diaw

Boris Diaw

Boris Babacar Diaw-Riffiod, better known as Boris Diaw , is a French professional basketball player for JSA Bordeaux in France. He has also played in the National Basketball Association for the Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns, and Charlotte Bobcats...

was France's most consistent player in the loss, leading the team in points (21), rebounds (5), and assists (4).

France was eliminated after losing its third consecutive game, while undefeated hosts Turkey advanced to the quarterfinals for the second straight World championship.

USA vs. Angola

The unbeaten US team cruised to the biggest blowout of the tournament so far, beating African champions Angola 121–66. After leading 12–4 early on the US used a 10–0 run to build a 33–13 first quarter lead and never looked back in the rout. Angola made only five of 18 shots in the first quarter in digging themselves the early hole. In three of four quarters the US scored at least thirty points, while outscoring Angola by 27 in the first and 28 in the second half. The US team shot 52.6% from the field, including 47.4% (18/38) from the three-point range. The Americans used their athletic advantages in the rebounding area by outrebounding Angola 48–23 and also recording 28 assists with just five turnovers to show their flawless offensive execution. Angola played the game shorthanded, as the team's leading scorer Olimpio Cipriano

Olimpio Cipriano

Olimpio Cipriano is an Angolan professional basketball player with Clube Desportivo Primeiro de Agosto. A guard, he has competed in various international competitions for the Angola national basketball team, including the 2004 Summer Olympics and the FIBA Africa Championship 2005...

sat out with a leg injury. With Cipriano out, Joaquim Gomes

Joaquim Gomes

Joaquim Gomes is an Angolan professional basketball player. He has played in professionally in Germany and the Netherlands and currently plays for Clube Desportivo Primeiro de Agosto in Angola....

scored 21 to lead the Angolan side. All twelve players scored for the United States, and four ended up in double-digits. Veteran Chauncey Billups

Chauncey Billups

Chauncey Ray Billups is an American professional basketball point guard for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association . He has also played for Team USA. Billups won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004, helping the Detroit Pistons beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, and was given the...

scored a team-high 19 and Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant

Kevin Wayne Durant is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association . A 6'9" small forward/shooting guard who is also capable of playing power forward, Durant was the consensus 2007 National College Player of the Year and the...

, Rudy Gay

Rudy Gay

Rudy Carlton Gay, Jr. is an American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Memphis Grizzlies...

, and Eric Gordon

Eric Gordon

Eric Ambrose Gordon, Jr. , nicknamed "EJ", is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA. In high school, he was named "Mr. Basketball" of Indiana during his senior year while playing at North Central High School...

each had 17 points.

Unbeaten United States assured themselves a top eight finish for the 16th consecutive World Championship, while Angola failed to qualify for the quarterfinals for the second straight tournament. Despite the loss, Angola became the first African team to qualify for the knockout stage of back-to-back tournaments.

Russia vs. New Zealand

Russia provided the fourth blowout in a row by beating New Zealand 78–56. The "Tall Blacks" jumped out to an early 9–2 lead in the first quarter and ended the first quarter with a two point advantage. The Russians then played impressive defense to regain a four-point lead at half. When New Zealand's stars Kirk Penney

Kirk Penney

Kirk Samuel Penney is a New Zealander professional basketball player.-University of Wisconsin :...

and Mika Vukona

Mika Vukona

Mika Vukona is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Australasian National Basketball League's New Zealand Breakers and for the New Zealand Tall Blacks...

were sent to the bench with their fourth fouls midway through the third quarter, Russia blew the game open with a 13–0 run to expand a 38–35 lead to 51–35. The Kiwis were unable to cut the deficit below eight as Russia cruised to a 22-point victory. The Russian defense, despite the absence of injured star forward Viktor Khryapa

Viktor Khryapa

Viktor Vladimirovich Khryapa is a Russian professional basketball player.-Pro career:Khryapa played for Khimik Engels in 1999-00, and for Avtodor Saratov in 2000-02...

, held New Zealand to 56 points, well below their pre-knockout stage average of 84.8 points per game. Andrey Vorontsevich had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Russians and Timofey Mozgov

Timofey Mozgov

Timofey Pavlovich Mozgov is a Russian professional basketball player for Khimki Moscow Region of the Russian Professional Basketball League. He is tall and he weighs . He plays at the center position.-Pro career:Mozgov began his professional career with LenVo St...

chipped in 16 points of his own while Anton Ponkrashov

Anton Ponkrashov

Anton Ponkrashov is a Russian professional basketball player. He is 2.00 m in height and weighs 220 pounds. He can play as a swingman and as a point guard.-Pro career:...

dished out 7 assists. The Kiwis' leading scorer Kirk Penney

Kirk Penney

Kirk Samuel Penney is a New Zealander professional basketball player.-University of Wisconsin :...

again led New Zealand with 21 points despite his limited playing time and Thomas Abercrombie

Thomas Abercrombie (basketball)

Thomas Iain Abercrombie is a New Zealand professional basketball player. He played in the United States for one year at Washington State University, before returning to his home country to play in the Australasian National Basketball League and the New Zealand National Basketball League .-High...

ended his impressive play at the World Championship with 13 points. New Zealand just shot 31.2% (15 of 48) from the field and 5 of 24 from beyond the arc.

Russia became the fifth European team to reach the quarterfinals and the sixth straight higher seeded team to advance. With New Zealand's loss, both Oceania

FIBA Oceania

FIBA Oceania is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which contains all 21 national basketball associations in Oceania.- Top two FIBA Oceania teams :C Current zone champion- Competitions :* FIBA Oceania Championship...

teams were knocked out in the eighth finals for the second consecutive World Championship.

Lithuania vs. China

Group D winner Lithuania continued the European dominance at this World Championship by beating China 78–67 to become the sixth European team in the quarterfinals. China got off to a good start and led 16–5 early on and by five points after the first quarter. Lithuania came back to outscore China by eight in the second quarter to take a three-point lead at halftime. In the third quarter, Lithuania locked down the Chinese offense by just allowing eleven points to stretch their lead to 13. China attempted to make it a close game in the fourth quarter, cutting the lead down to six before Lithuania's Linas Kleiza

Linas Kleiza

Linas Kleiza is a Lithuanian professional basketball player with the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association. He is also a member of the Lithuanian national team. He can play either forward position. Kleiza signed a four year, $18.8 million contract prior to the 2010–11 NBA...

scored ten unanswered points to put the game away. Kleiza was the player of the match for Lithuania, scoring 30 points and also grabbing 9 rebounds. Liu Wei scored 21 points for the Chinese team, while team scoring leader Yi Jianlian

Yi Jianlian

Yi Jianlian is a Chinese professional basketball player for the Guangdong Southern Tigers. He has also played in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, and Washington Wizards. Yi played power forward for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association in 2002 and...

scored 11 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.

China failed to reach the quarterfinals for the third straight year, although they were knocked the last Asian

FIBA Asia

FIBA Asia is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which contains all 44 Asian FIBA federations.-National teams:East AsiaGulfMiddle AsiaSoutheast AsiaWest Asia-Top ten FIBA Asia teams:...

team standing for the third consecutive tournament. Lithuania reached the quarterfinal stage for the third time in their history and remains to be one of three unbeaten teams in this tournament together with the USA and Turkey

Turkey national basketball team

The Turkish national basketball team is the basketball section that represents Turkey in international competitions. The team is nicknamed "12 Dev Adam" ....

Argentina vs. Brazil

The last eighth final match featured a South American

FIBA Americas

FIBA Americas is a zone within FIBA which contains the 44 FIBA Federations located in the Americas. FIBA Americas is headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico.- National teams :CONCECABACaribbean...

rivalry between Argentina and Brazil. The game quickly turned into a run and gun

Run and gun (basketball)

Run and gun is a style of basketball which involves a very high pace of play. It was most famously used by the Loyola Marymount men's basketball team in the late 1980s under coach Paul Westhead.....

spectacle in which no team had a bigger lead than four. The game was tied at 25–25 after the back-and-forth first quarter. Brazil took a narrow 48–46 lead into the halftime break. The third quarter was the lowest scoring quarter, as Argentina made a small comeback to tie the game. The fourth quarter was all about offense again with Leandro Barbosa

Leandro Barbosa

Leandro Mateus Barbosa is a Brazilian professional basketball player, who plays at the guard position with Flamengo Basketball in Brazil. He is also under contract with the National Basketball Association's Toronto Raptors, and is expected to return to that team once the 2011 NBA lockout ends...

and Hernán Jasen

Hernán Jasen

Hernán Jasen is an Argentine-Italian professional basketball player. He plays at the small forward position...

hitting threes after each other. In the end, Luis Scola

Luis Scola

Luis Alberto Scola Balvoa is an Argentine professional basketball player. The power forward-center for the Argentine national team is currently signed with the NBA's Houston Rockets. He formerly was a Euroleague star with the ACB's Saski Baskonia...

made the difference with his stellar performance of 37 points and 9 rebounds. The 37 points tied Kirk Penney

Kirk Penney

Kirk Samuel Penney is a New Zealander professional basketball player.-University of Wisconsin :...

's tournament high in points. Marcelo Huertas gave the Brazilian team a lift by scoring 34 points. Barbosa added 20 points of his own, as did Carlos Delfino

Carlos Delfino

Carlos Francisco Delfino is an Argentine professional basketball player. He also has Italian citizenship. Delfino plays at the small forward and shooting guard positions. He stands tall and weighs . He is also noted for his defensive skills...

of Argentina. In the shootout, Argentina shot 57.9% from the field, including 61.1% (11/18) from three-point range, while Brazil shot 53.7% and hit half of their shots from behind the arc (12/24).

With the win, Argentina is assured of finishing in the first eight places for the fourth consecutive time, while one-time powerhouse Brazil failed to medal for the eighth straight World Championship.

Serbia vs. Spain

Serbia avenged their EuroBasket 2009

EuroBasket 2009

The EuroBasket 2009 was the 36th EuroBasket, the biennial regional basketball championship contested by European nations and held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Poland, began on 7 September 2009 and concluded with the final on 20 September 2009...

gold medal game loss in the first quarterfinal against Spain in a tight 92–89 victory. Both teams got off to a hot start in the early going, before Serbia went on a quick 10–0 run after Spain's Jorge Garbajosa

Jorge Garbajosa

Jorge Garbajosa Chaparro, Jr., nicknamed "Garbo" , is a Spanish professional basketball player. At 2.07 m , he plays both power forward and small forward.-Pro career:*1994-97 Taugres*1997-00 TAU Cerámica...

had tied the game at 13 with a three-pointer at 13. Serbia got a great start from Nemanja Bjelica

Nemanja Bjelica

Nemanja Bjelica is a Serbian professional basketball player. He is a 2.09 m tall small forward and he can also play as a point forward. He is currently playing for the Spanish team Caja Laboral.-Player profile:Although 2.09m tall, Bjelica is a shooter and small forward...

and Novica Veličković

Novica Velickovic

Novica Veličković is a Serbian professional basketball player. He plays at the power forward position, but he can also play at small forward. He is 205 cm tall and he weighs 109 kg...

, who scored a combined 21 points in the first quarter. Despite this, Spain came back to cut the lead to just four at the first quarter break. Serbia stretched their lead in the second quarter and went into halftime with an eight point advantage.

In the third quarter, Spain outscored the Serbian team by five to make it a three point game heading into the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter was a back-and forth affair in which both teams went onto runs before it came down to the last seconds. Serbia found themselves up by eight points at several points in the quarter, but could not put the Spaniards away. Serbia was holding onto a slim 89–84 lead with a bit over one minute left before Juan Carlos Navarro

Juan Carlos Navarro (basketball)

Juan Carlos Navarro Feijoo , nicknamed "La Bomba" , is a Spanish professional basketball player...

made a three-pointer before dishing to Marc Gasol

Marc Gasol

Marc Gasol i Sàez is a Spanish professional basketball player for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. He was drafted in the second round, 48th overall, by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2007 NBA Draft...

on the next possession as Spain tied the game at 89 with 25.8 seconds left in the game. On its final possession, Serbia ran the clock down until five seconds left when Miloš Teodosić

Miloš Teodosic

Miloš Teodosić is a professional basketball player from Serbia. He is 1.96 m tall. He can play at either the point guard or shooting guard position. He is currently a member of the pro club CSKA Moscow.-Player profile:He can play at either guard position...

took advantage of Spain's defense to make a long three-pointer with just 3.1 seconds left. Spain took a timeout to advance the ball to midcourt, but Garbajosa fumbled the inbound pass and Veličković jumped on the ball to seal the victory. Serbia displayed great team play with having six players in double-figures and recording 18 assists while hitting half of their shots from three-point range (15/30). Navarro's 27 points were not enough for Spain in the losing effort. Ricky Rubio

Ricky Rubio

ran into foul trouble in the fourth quarter and was held to a tournament-low three assists by Serbia.

Turkey vs. Slovenia

Turkey won the second quarterfinal against Slovenia in a blowout fashion 95–68 in front of an electric home crowd. Slovenia came out strong early on, led by Boštjan Nachbar, who scored seven of the team's first ten points, to take a 10–6 lead. Turkey came back with a 20–5 run to take the lead 27–14 after the first quarter. From there, the game was never in doubt; Slovenia was never able to cut the lead to single digits at any point after the first quarter. In the second quarter, Turkey's bench gave them a lift by taking a 19-point lead at halftime. Turkey shot the ball well, hitting eight of eleven from three-point range in the first half. Turkey outscored Slovenia by nine in the third quarter to take a comfortable 71–43 lead into the last quarter. The last quarter was essentially a victory lap for the Turkish team, as the starters took places on the bench to gave playing time to the second unit. Turkey ended the game hitting a tournament-high 71% of the field, 10 of 17 from behind the arc, and recording 24 assists. Slovenia meanwhile struggled offensively, shooting just 35.7% from the field. Ersan İlyasova

Ersan Ilyasova

Ersan İlyasova is a Turkish professional basketball player who currently plays for Anadolu Efes. He is also under contract with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, though the NBA is currently in a lockout...

scored 19 points to lead Turkey. Eleven of twelve Turkish players scored and Hedo Türkoğlu dished out with 7 assists. Sani Bečirovič

Sani Becirovic

Sani Bečirović is a Slovenian 1.96 m professional basketball player currently plays for the Benetton Treviso, that plays at both point guard and shooting guard positions...

and Nachbar both had 16 points for the Slovenian team.

With the victory, Turkey became the first host team to reach the final four since Greece

Greece national basketball team

The Greece national basketball team is the representative for Greece in international men's basketball competitions, organized and run by the Hellenic Basketball Federation. Traditionally, Greece is considered among the world's top basketball powers; they were runners-up in the 2006 FIBA World...

advanced to the semifinals at the 1998 FIBA World Championship

1998 FIBA World Championship

in Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

. The Turks also assured themselves of their best ever performance at the World Championship. Slovenia improved upon 2006

2006 FIBA World Championship

's eighth final performance, reaching the quarterfinals in their second ever World Championship appearance.

USA vs. Russia

The United States and Russia reignited their rivalry in the quarterfinals on the thirty-eighth anniversary of the Soviet Union

Soviet Union national basketball team

The Soviet national basketball team was the basketball side that represented the Soviet Union in international competitions. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the successor countries all set up their own national teams...

's gold medal victory over the United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics

Basketball at the 1972 Summer Olympics

-Group B:-Medal bracket:-Classification brackets:5th–8th Place9th–12th Place13th–16th Place Forfeited match.-Gold Medal Match controversy:...

. On this occasion, the Americans prevailed, winning 89–79 to reach the semifinals. In the first half, the Russians looked to give the Americans a stiff challenge, as big men Andrey Vorontsevich (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Timofey Mozgov

Timofey Mozgov

(13 points (9 in the first quarter), 4 rebounds) controlled the middle. The United States struggled from the field, missing 17 of their first 25 shots as Russia built a 35–30 lead midway through the second quarter. On the verge of trailing at halftime for only the second time in the tournament, the Americans answered with a quick 12–0 run and entered halftime with a five-point lead.

Leading 50–45 in the third quarter, Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA. He was drafted by the Thunder's former incarnation, the Seattle SuperSonics, which relocated from Seattle, Washington to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma...

sparked the United States with seven points and three steals over a three-minute stretch in the third quarter to help the United States open up a 65–50 lead. The Americans dominated from there, leading by as many as 17 and never letting Russia back within single digits en route to the victory. Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant

scored a game-high 33 points as the Americans moved two wins away from their first World Championship since 1994

1994 FIBA World Championship

The 1994 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Canada from August 4 to August 14, 1994. The tournament was held at SkyDome and Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto as well as at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton...

. Westbrook scored ten of his twelve points in the second half to spark the Americans, while Lamar Odom

Lamar Odom

Lamar Joseph Odom is an American professional basketball forward with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association.-Early life:...

added 12 rebounds. Sergei Bykov

Sergei Bykov

Sergey Vladimirovich Bykov is a Russian professional basketball player. He is 1.90 m tall and 95 kg in weight...

scored a game-high 17 points for Russia, while Russian big men Vorontsevich, Mozgov, and Sergei Monia

Sergei Monia

Sergei Alexandrovich Monia is a Russian professional basketball player. He was selected by the NBA club the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft. He is in height and he weighs...

performed well, helping the Russians outrebound the Americans 45–38. Turnovers proved Russia's undoing, however, as the quick American team forced 18 turnovers, including 14 steals.

With the victory, the United States moves to the semifinals with a perfect 7–0 record for the second consecutive World Championship. Russia fell to the consolation bracket, although their quarterfinal appearance assured they would have their best result since finishing second at the 1998 FIBA World Championship

1998 FIBA World Championship

Lithuania vs. Argentina

Lithuania blew out Argentina in the last quarterfinal of the tournament 104–85. The game started even before Lithuania went on a 8–0 run to lead 17–10 midway through the first quarter. Argentina answered with a 5–0 run on their own but Lithuania closed out the quarter 11–3 to stretch the lead to ten. From there, the game was never really in doubt after Lithuania hit their first eight three-pointers and the lead grew to twenty (50–30) at halftime. The third quarter started with a quick 6–0 run for Lithuania to stretch the lead to 26 before Pablo Prigioni

Pablo Prigioni

Pablo Prigioni is an Argentine professional basketball player. He plays at the point guard position, currently for Caja Laboral in Spanish Liga ACB. He is 1.92m in height.-Player profile:...

finally made the first three-pointer of the day for Argentina, after missing their first eleven, with 4:47 left in the third quarter. The lead was 32 after three quarters until a late run by Argentina brought the final deficit down to 19. All seven players that scored for Lithuania ended up in double-figures, led by Simas Jasaitis

Simas Jasaitis

Simas Jasaitis is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He is a small forward and currently plays for Türk Telekom B.K.. He also represents the Lithuanian national basketball team.-Pro career:...

with 19. Linas Kleiza

Linas Kleiza

, the Lithuanians' high scorer for the tournament, scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Carlos Delfino

Carlos Delfino

was the leading scorer for Argentina with 25, while the overall tournament scoring leader Luis Scola

Luis Scola

struggled by hitting just five of his 13 shots for 13 points. Argentina made only four of their 21 tries from behind the arc, while Lithuania made half of their shots from three-point range (12 of 24).

Number-one ranked Argentina lost in the quarterfinals after reaching the semifinals at each of their last four major international tournaments (two Olympics and two World Championships). Unbeaten Lithuania qualified for the World Championship semifinals for the first time in their history, after finishing seventh in each of their first two appearances (1998

1998 FIBA World Championship

and 2006

2006 FIBA World Championship

). All four group winners advanced to the semifinals for the second straight time under the new format that FIBA unveiled in 2006.

Spain vs. Slovenia

Defending world champions Spain overcame a sluggish start to beat Slovenia 97–80 in the first consolation round game. The pre-tournament favorites showed some signs of wear after their emotional quarterfinal loss to Serbia in the early going, missing eight of their first ten shots, as Slovenia opened up a seven-point first quarter lead. From there, Spain settled in and the lead changed hands several times over the next two quarters before Spain entered the fourth quarter leading 64–62. Sergio Llull

Sergio Llull

Sergio Llull Melià is a Spanish professional basketball player. He is 6 ft 3 ¾ in tall. He currently plays with the professional club Real Madrid.-Player profile:...

hit his only two baskets of the game, both three-pointers, and Juan Carlos Navarro

Juan Carlos Navarro (basketball)

Juan Carlos Navarro Feijoo , nicknamed "La Bomba" , is a Spanish professional basketball player...

added two more threes as Spain blew the game open with a 15–6 late run. The Spaniards eventually won by seventeen in a game that was far closer than the final score line indicates. Navarro led Spain with 26 points, while Rudy Fernández

Rudy Fernández (basketball)

Rodolfo "Rudy" Fernández y Farrés is a Spanish professional basketball player. He is a 6'6" tall shooting guard/small forward who is currently signed to the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, though he will play for Real Madrid until the current NBA lockout ends...

and Fran Vázquez

Fran Vázquez

Francisco Vázquez González , commonly known as Fran Vázquez, is a Spanish professional basketball player. He is currently playing with Barcelona of the Spanish ACB League as a center.-Pro career:...

pitched in with 16 each. Jaka Lakovič

Jaka Lakovic

Jaka Lakovič is a Slovenian professional basketball player of Serbian descent. A dynamic 186 cm tall point guard...

and Goran Dragić paced Slovenia with 19 points each. With the victory, Spain kept its hopes alive for finishing in the top five in four consecutive World Championship tournaments.

Russia vs. Argentina

The second consolation bracket game was all Luis Scola

Luis Scola

and Carlos Delfino

Carlos Delfino

as the Argentine duo combined for 53 of Argentina's 73 total points in a 73–61 victory over Russia. The game was a tight defensive struggle for most of the game before Argentina used a late fourth quarter run to pull away. Russia had gotten within two at 58–56 on Timofey Mozgov

Timofey Mozgov

's bucket with 6:50 to play before Argentina outscored the Russians 17–5 the rest of the way. Only four players scored more than one basket for Argentina, with Fabricio Oberto

Fabricio Oberto

Fabricio Raúl Jesús Oberto is an Argentine professional basketball player. At and , he plays as a center. With Liga Nacional de Básquet in his native Argentina, Oberto began playing professionally in 1993 and later played overseas with teams in Spain and Greece...

adding 10 and Pablo Prigioni

Pablo Prigioni

Pablo Prigioni is an Argentine professional basketball player. He plays at the point guard position, currently for Caja Laboral in Spanish Liga ACB. He is 1.92m in height.-Player profile:...

scoring 5. Mozgov scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to pace Russia, while Sergei Monia

Sergei Monia

scored a team-high 17 points.

With the victory, Argentina advances to the fifth-place game versus Spain, in a rematch of the 2006 FIBA World Championship

2006 FIBA World Championship

semifinal. Many predicted that this matchup – between world number one Argentina and defending champion Spain – could be for the final before the tournament. Russia will face Slovenia in the seventh place game.

Seventh–place game

Russia ended their World Championship campaign with a victory after beating Slovenia 83–78. Slovenia outplayed Russia in a sloppy first half that included only four total points in the first five minutes of the second quarter. Slovenia used a late 7–0 run to lead 37–30 at halftime. Slovenia opened up the second half with a quick run to lead by 14 midway through the third quarter before Russia trimmed the lead back down to seven at the end of the third quarter. Russia started the fourth quarter strong with a 12–0 run to take the lead 64–62 before Slovenia made two three-pointers to take back the lead. Vitaly Fridzon

Vitaly Fridzon

Vitaly Fridzon Vitaly Fridzon (alternate spellings: Vitali Fridzon and Vitalii Fridzon) Vitaly Fridzon (alternate spellings: Vitali Fridzon and Vitalii Fridzon) (in ; (born October 14, 1985 in Klintsy, Russian SFSR) is a Russian professional basketball player. He is 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) tall and...

was the Russian hero of the day as he scored 15 of his 17 points in the final quarter. Slovenian star Boštjan Nachbar chipped in 11 of his game-high 20 points in the final six minutes, including a three-pointer that gave Slovenia a five point 74–69 lead with 2:31 left. Russia answered with a 14–4 run in the last 2:15, led by Timofey Mozgov

Timofey Mozgov

, who scored seven of his team-high 19 points in the final 82 seconds of the game.

After finished 12th at the last World Championships

2006 FIBA World Championship

, Slovenia achieved the eighth place, the best finish in their short history, while Russia ended up in seventh place for its best finish since 1998.

Fifth–place game

Spain and Argentina met in the fifth place game in a match billed by the media as the "clash for crumbs" after both teams fell short of expectations as pre-tournament favorites. The majority of the game was surprisingly uncompetitive, as Argentina never trailed at any point in the game. After extending a 17-point halftime lead to 25 on Carlos Delfino

Carlos Delfino

's three-pointer with 6:45 left in the third quarter, Spain mounted a furious comeback. Rudy Fernández

Rudy Fernández (basketball)

scored eleven points and Sergio Llull

Sergio Llull

Sergio Llull Melià is a Spanish professional basketball player. He is 6 ft 3 ¾ in tall. He currently plays with the professional club Real Madrid.-Player profile:...

added seven more during a 28–6 run over the last 6:30 of the third quarter that trimmed Argentina's lead to 65–62 entering the final quarter. From there, the Spaniards could never get over the hump, as Argentina hung onto the narrow lead. After Marc Gasol

Marc Gasol

Marc Gasol i Sàez is a Spanish professional basketball player for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. He was drafted in the second round, 48th overall, by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2007 NBA Draft...

hit one of two free throws to tie the game at 80 with 2:11 left – the first tie since it was 4–4 in the opening minutes – Luis Scola

Luis Scola

made a basket and Pablo Prigioni

Pablo Prigioni

Pablo Prigioni is an Argentine professional basketball player. He plays at the point guard position, currently for Caja Laboral in Spanish Liga ACB. He is 1.92m in height.-Player profile:...

followed with a dagger three-pointer as the shot clock expired to give Argentina a commanding four-point lead with 15 seconds left.

Fernández led all scorers with 31 points in the losing effort. Argentine stars Delfino (27 points), Scola (22 points, 11 rebounds), and Prigioni (17 points, 7 assists) continued to pace Argentina. With his 22 points, Scola likely locked up the tournament's scoring title; only a monumental performance from the USA's Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant

could top him. The Argentines sealed fifth place after finishing second and fourth in the last two World Championships while the Spaniards finished below fifth place for the first time since 1994

1994 FIBA World Championship

USA vs. Lithuania

The US team continued their unbeaten streak at the World Championship by beating Lithuania 89–74. In the first quarter, Lithuania held an early 11–9 lead before the US took the game over with 12 unanswered points, while holding Lithuania without a field goal over a six minute stretch in the first and second quarters. Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant

was the star early on as he outscored the entire Lithuanian team with 17 points in the first quarter. The Lithuanians finished the first quarter by missing their final eight shots after starting out shooting 5-for-8. The Americans led by eleven to start the second quarter and were able to grow the lead to 17 at halftime. Lithuania made an early push in the third period to cut the lead to ten before the USA answered with a 9–0 run to widen the lead to 19. Tomas Delininkaitis

Tomas Delininkaitis

Tomas Delininkaitis Tomas Delininkaitis Tomas Delininkaitis (born June 11, 1982 in Klaipėda, Lithuania is a Lithuanian basketball shooting guard currently playing for BC Žalgiris. He can also play point guard if needed. He was a member of the Lithuanian national basketball team for the 2010 FIBA...

scored eight points in a row to bring his team back within 10, but the Lithuanians could not cut the lead to single digits. Late in the fourth quarter, Durant put the game away with his fifth three-pointer to give the USA an 84–67 lead en route to the fifteen point victory.

Durant was the top scorer with a tournament-high 38 points, topping the all-time US record for most points in a game. Lamar Odom

Lamar Odom

Lamar Joseph Odom is an American professional basketball forward with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association.-Early life:...

had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds to go along 3 blocked shots, while Andre Iguodala

Andre Iguodala

Andre Tyler Iguodala is an American professional basketball player who plays small forward for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association . Iguodala is listed at 6 ft 6 in and 207 lbs. . Iguodala played his high school basketball for Lanphier High School in Springfield, Illinois...

recorded four steals and held Lithuanian top scorer Linas Kleiza

Linas Kleiza

to just four points on 1 for 11 shooting, the only time all tournament that he was held in single digits. Robertas Javtokas

Robertas Javtokas

Robertas Javtokas is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. Javtokas is 2.11 m in height and weighs 122 kg . He plays the center position. He has been a member of the Lithuanian national team since 2000...

led Lithuania with 15 points, and was the only Lithuanian scorer to shoot more than 50% on the afternoon.

Lithuania will play in the bronze medal game and have a chance to win a medal for the first time in their history, while the USA put themselves to win a record-setting fourth title that would be its first since the 1994 World Championship

1994 FIBA World Championship

. With the victory, the USA assured that they will regain the Number One ranking in the FIBA World Ranking from Argentina following the tournament.

Serbia vs. Turkey

The second semifinal provided the most thrilling finish of the tournament as the hosts were able to keep their magical run alive with an 83–82 victory over Serbia. Serbia controlled the game for much of the first half, leading by three at the end of the first quarter before growing their lead to 7 in the second quarter to lead 42–35 at halftime. Turkey came out firing in the second half, scoring 25 in the third quarter to cut the lead to three before the fourth quarter. Turkey hung tight for most of the second half, never leading but never falling behind by double digits as Serbia could not separate themselves from the Turks. Serbian star Miloš Teodosić

Miloš Teodosic

hit a three-pointer with 5:36 left to give Serbia a 72–64 lead to match their biggest lead of the game. Turkey came roaring back following Teodosić's three, going on a 14–3 run over the next two minutes. Kerem Tunçeri

Kerem Tunçeri

Mehmet Kerem Tunçeri is a Turkish professional basketball player. He plays at the point guard and shooting guard positions...

, who scored eight of Turkey's 14 points during the run, hit a three-pointer with 3:25 left gave Turkey its first lead since it was 4–3 early in the first quarter to set up the thrilling finish.

After both teams exchanged free throws over the next few minutes, Serbia got the lead back with 28 seconds left when Marko Kešelj

Marko Kešelj

Marko Kešelj is a Serbian professional basketball player. He is currently playing with Olympiacos in Greece.-Pro career:...

hit two free throws. On the ensuing possession, Turkey's Semih Erden got a dunk and a foul with 16.8 seconds to go. He missed the free throw and Serbia had the chance to win it. Novica Veličković

Novica Velickovic

Novica Veličković is a Serbian professional basketball player. He plays at the power forward position, but he can also play at small forward. He is 205 cm tall and he weighs 109 kg...

hit a shot with four seconds left to give Serbia an 82–81 lead and set up a frantic finish. After a timeout, Turkey inbounded the ball to Hedo Türkoğlu near midcourt; Türkoğlu mishandled the ball but it fell right to Tunçeri who drove along the baseline for an uncontested layup as the buzzer sounded, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. An official review put 0.5 seconds back on the clock, and Serbia had one last chance for a miracle. On the ensuing inbounds pass, Duško Savanović

Duško Savanović

Duško Savanović is a Serbian professional basketball player. He is 2.04 m tall and 102 kg weight. He currently plays with the Turkish club Anadolu Efes. He plays the power forward position.-External links:* at acb.com* at euroleague.net* at adriaticbasket.info* at tblstat.net...

hit a streaking Veličković in front of the basket for an alley-oop, but Erden got a hand on the ball to deflect the shot and preserve the historic victory for Turkey.

Tunçeri was the hero for Turkey, scoring 10 of his 12 points in the final 5:16, while Türkoğlu scored a team-high 16 points. Big men Kešelj (18 points, 7 rebounds) and Nenad Krstić

Nenad Krstic

Nenad Krstić is a Serbian professional basketball player for CSKA Moscow. Krstić is officially listed at 7'0" tall.-KK Partizan:...

(15 points, 7 rebounds) paced Serbia in the loss. Teodosić continued his strong tournament performance, tying a tournament high with 11 assists. With the victory, Turkey advanced to the final against the USA, ensuring themselves their first ever FIBA World Championship medal in the process. They are the first host team to make the final since Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia national basketball team

The Yugoslavian national basketball team represented the Kingdom and socialist Yugoslavia. Its of governing body was the Basketball Federation of Yugoslavia, whose seat was in Belgrade....

in 1970

1970 FIBA World Championship

The 1970 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Yugoslavia at Sarajevo, Split, Karlovac, Skopje and Ljubljana, from May 10 to 24 , 1970...

. Serbia, unable to win a third straight knockout stage game in the final seconds, will play in the bronze medal game against Lithuania in an attempt to win a third medal in the last four World Championship tournaments.

After the game, Serbian players and media blamed the referees and FIBA for their loss, because of several decisions in the last minutes of the game they deemed suspicious. A few days after the game, Serbian media have published an amateur video showing Kerem Tunçeri stepping out of bounds

Out of bounds

Out of bounds is the area outside the boundaries of a sport's field of playOut of Bounds may also refer to:* Out of Bounds , a movie starring Anthony Michael Hall...

before making the decisive last-second layup for Turkish victory.

Third–place game

In the bronze medal match, it was all about offense as Lithuania defeated Serbia 99–88. Serbia got the better start, and led 18–9 midway through the first quarter before Lithuania came back with a 14–4 run to take a one point lead at the first break. In the second quarter, Lithuania used their hot shooting and some minor runs to open up a ten-point halftime lead. The third quarter was more of the same; Lithuania was the better team and extended their lead to 22 at one point before Serbia cut the lead to 18 heading into he final quarter. Neither team missed many shots in the back-and-forth final quarter. Serbia could not cut the deficit below double digits, as Lithuania shot consistently and hung on for the 11-point victory.

Serbia shot 60.5% on two-point shots but made just six of 17 from behind the arc while Lithuania shot 52.2% from three-point range and 59% overall. Linas Kleiza

Linas Kleiza

bounced back from his poor performance yesterday and scored 33 points on 12 of 18 shooting, and Simas Jasaitis

Simas Jasaitis

had a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds. Novica Veličković

Novica Velickovic

Novica Veličković is a Serbian professional basketball player. He plays at the power forward position, but he can also play at small forward. He is 205 cm tall and he weighs 109 kg...

led Serbia with 18 points while Aleksandar Rašić

Aleksandar Rašić

Aleksandar Rašić is a Serbian professional basketball player. He is currently playing for BC Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania.-External links:*...

dished out ten assists. With the victory, Lithuania won their first ever medal at a World Championship. Serbia finished in fourth place in their first tournament competing under the name Serbia, after previous appearances as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro.

Final

In a matchup of the only two unbeaten teams remaining in the tournament, USA captured its record-setting fourth World Championship with an 81–64 victory over Turkey. Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant

again led the Americans, scoring 28 points while Lamar Odom

Lamar Odom

Lamar Joseph Odom is an American professional basketball forward with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association.-Early life:...

added 15 points and 11 rebounds. With the title, USA also qualifies for the 2012 Summer Olympic tournament

Basketball at the 2012 Summer Olympics

- External links :**...

. Hosts Turkey ended their fantastic tournament run in front of the home crowd by capturing the silver medal, its first medal of any kind in one of the two major international tournaments.

External links

Official website

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