Finland meets Croatia in the quarterfinals of the European Basketball Championships. Susigengi wants to advance from the first round of the playoffs for the first time, but the physical challenges of the NBA pose a huge challenge.
Finland will meet Croatia in the quarterfinals of the European Basketball Championships on Sunday at 15:45. The live broadcast on TV2 and Areena starts at 15:20. The European Basketball Championship is followed in this article.
Today, Sunday, the Finnish national basketball team is aiming for a historic place in the quarterfinals of the European Basketball Championships. Finland has never progressed to the top eight when a win in the playoffs has been required.
In 1967, Finland was sixth in its EC home competition. Then there were 16 countries that were divided into two initial blocks. Finland was third in its group and advanced to play from places 5–8. The best two of the groups advanced directly to the medal games.
Now Finland is playing in the EC tournament for the fifth time in a row. Finland has made it through the first group every time to the next round, but the road has always been boring to the next group or the first playoff round.
Sports expert Antero Lehto tells what kind of team Croatia is and what kind of performance Finland needs to stretch to.
NBA legend Bogdanovic: “A basket maker without equal”
Croatia’s number one star is definitely 33 years old Bojan Bogdanovic. Bogdanovic, who has been playing in the NBA since 2014, currently represents the Utah Jazz, to which Lauri Markkanen was traded from Cleveland on the eve of the European Championships.
– Bogdanovic is a basket maker without equal. He can make baskets in a variety of ways. He’s pretty big, but not terribly fast. He is an extremely good long thrower, Lehto says.
Bogdanović, who is 204 centimeters tall and weighs over a hundred kilograms, has played in these games with an average of 18.4 points. Only 4 points were scored against Estonia, but against Italy and Ukraine he made 27 points. He has sunk 43 percent of his threes.
Against Ukraine, a steamy situation was seen when Bogdanovic intentionally missed a free throw. Croatia tacticed itself into the third group in order to meet Finland and also to avoid Slovenia in the quarterfinals.
Read more: Did Croatia’s NBA star tactic as Finland’s opponent for the European Championship playoffs? The expert teases: “I hope the mockery hits your ankle”
– In June, he kept himself under control in Finland quite matter-of-factly. It takes more than one guy. It starts from team defense, Lehto reminds.
Croatia has significantly strengthened for the European Championships
Finland and Croatia played in the same opening group of the World Cup qualifiers. Finland beat Croatia in Vantaa last November 77–71. NBA and Euroleague players were not included in that national team window. From November’s lineup, Croatia has only three players in the European Championships.
In July, the match between Croatia and Finland in Rijeka was attended by, among others, Bogdanovic and the Los Angeles Clippers’ NBA player Ivica Zubac, who both scored 21 points. Still, Finland claimed a wonderful away victory 81–79 with Markkanen’s last-minute three-pointer.
Croatia was left without a further place in the first group of the World Cup qualifiers. Finland marched into the next group, from which it has already secured a place in next year’s World Cup.
Even from the match in July, Croatia’s lineup has strengthened significantly. Now they are joined by an NBA man, the power forward of the Phoenix Suns Dario Sarić and the American-born quarterback representing Alba Berlin Jaleen Smith. Croatia “recruited” Smith quickly in the summer.
– Croatia tries to play a lot from the inside through Zubac, at a slower tempo, Lehto begins.
– If Finland plays the same basket as Croatia, we go slowly, we don’t try to go for fast attacks, we don’t play half-court attacks dynamically – then Finland is really in trouble.
Croatia’s backfield was in trouble in the July match. Since then, Smith has been hired into the group, who immediately plays a big role.
– Smith is a big addition to their playing lineup. He has played well in these games.
Finland cannot be satisfied with Croatia’s pace
As the Finnish coaching staff warned, for example, before the match against the Czech Republic in the first group, Finland cannot participate in wrestling. Finland must be able to keep a faster tempo than the opponent wants and get fast attacks with successful defensive performances.
– Finland needs to be able to play quickly, its own game. The ball must move quickly, must reach the open field through the defense’s stops. If there are a lot of half-field attacks, five on five, then the rooster of honor will not crow, Lehto believes.
– Of course from Finland’s important players, Markkanen and Sasu Salinpreferably someone else too, good success is needed so that they give a chance for Finland to win.
In the videos below, you can see how the Finnish coaching team Hanno Möttölä and Teemu Rannikko commenting on Croatia. Both Rannikko, 42, and Möttölä, 46, celebrated their birthdays on Friday.
Finland will meet Croatia in the quarterfinals of the European Basketball Championships on Sunday at 15:45. The live broadcast on TV2 and Areena starts at 15:20. The European Basketball Championship is followed in this article.
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A promising message from Lauri Markkase before the extremely important Croatia game: “I haven’t played my best game yet”
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Susigengi said goodbye in Prague style, but in the next trainings we will go harder – a commendable grade did not come out of the first block
Did Croatia’s NBA star tactic as Finland’s opponent for the European Championship playoffs? The expert teases: “I hope the mockery hits your ankle”
See how Susijeng’s fans gave Petteri Kopose and the head coach unique vibes – “This is the moment”