The Finnish men’s national basketball team will face Israel, who boasts of self-confidence, in the first World Cup qualifying match on Thursday evening in the Tampere Arena.
Antti-Jussi Sipilä,
Timo Uusitalo
The Finnish men’s national basketball team will start the World Cup qualifiers in Tampere against Israel. Susijengi, who convincingly cleared the first stage of the qualifiers, will start their group in good positions.
Finland and Germany are at the top of the group with 11 points, which were brought in from the previous stage. Slovenia has 10, Israel 9 and Sweden and Estonia 8. The three best teams advance to the World Cup.
Standard member of Susijeng’s opening line-up Sasu Salin confirms that Finland is not yet thinking about the EC final tournament in Prague starting at the beginning of September. In this qualifying window, in addition to Israel, Finland will face Estonia away on Sunday.
– The World Cup qualifiers are important games for us and we want to keep a good position in them in the future, emphasizes Salin.
Thursday’s opponent Israel and the majority of its key players are familiar opponents for Salin at the club team level. Israel’s game philosophy is actually pretty much the same as Susijeng’s.
– They don’t have any incredibly tall and dominant players. They are even-sized and will exchange a lot of screens in defense. They have a mobile team and run the field well. We have to be particularly ready for this.
– In attack, on the other hand, we have to take advantage of those situations, if they change a smaller guy, for example To Lauri (To Markkasen). Usually it goes well when you give the ball to Lauri, Salin smiled.
Susijeng’s responsible coach Lassi Tuovi broke his own tees for the Israel match.
– Israel is a very challenging team and it has been that for everyone else in the qualifiers as well. They have a good preparation period below and have gone from win to win recently.
Tamir Blatt and Deni Avdija Israel’s canine tooth
Israel beat in their last World Cup qualifier Jukka Toijalan piloted by Estonia 96–77 and then won all of their five preparatory national matches. Last week, the team crushed Romania twice, 112–61 and 107–61.
– Their speed playing in the open field is good and you also have to be careful in the attacks in the half court. They move the ball exceptionally much, give quick, insightful passes.
– If we run behind and are not active right from the start, then we will be on a merry-go-round, warns Tuovi.
Israel’s power duo is made up of quarterback virtuosos, the brains of the team Tamir Blatt and in the NBA, playing for the Washington Wizards Deni Avdijawho as a 206-centimeter player can use ball screens, solve from close and throw from a distance.
Henri Kantonen took practically the last place in the group of twelve playing Finns before Topias Palmia and Remu from Raita. At least in the World Cup qualifiers, Susijengi starts with the strength of several back players.
MEN’S WORLD CUP QUALIFYING / GROUP J
Germany 6 5 1 474- 425 11
Finland 6 5 1 474- 446 11
Slovenia 6 4 2 506- 482 10
Israel 6 3 3 476- 452 9
Sweden 6 2 4 479- 494 8
Estonia 6 2 4 415- 470 8
Thu 25.08.
Finland–Israel at 18:30
Sweden–Germany at 19:30
Slovenia–Estonia 21.30
Sun 28.08.
Germany–Slovenia at 16:00
Estonia–Finland at 18:00
Israel–Sweden at 21:00