Dominant U.S. crush Serbia to win World Cup

MADRID - The United States romped to their fifth basketball World Cup title after overcoming an early deficit to overwhelm the tournament's surprise package Serbia 129-92 in a one-sided final on Sunday.

An athletic U.S. team, missing top NBA players such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant, finished the tournament in grand style with a 9-0 record to retain the title they won in Istanbul in 2010.

Serbia made a bright start and took a 15-7 lead in the opening few minutes but that was as good as it got for them after U.S. captain James Harden instigated a 15-0 run which put the champions in the driving seat.

The Americans nailed 11 of 16 three-pointers in the first half and took a 67-41 lead into the locker room as playmaker Kyrie Irving also found his range, while centres DeMarcus Cousins and Kenneth Faried dominated the boards.

Irving scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the opening two quarters, when his team mates stifled out Serbia playmaker Milos Teodosic at the other end of the court.

"Those first five minutes really knocked us back tonight and then the whole team gelled," U.S. coach Mike Kryzewski told a news conference.

"Obviously Kyrie and James (Harden) were amazing but this has been a great group to work with and I am proud of them.

"This is as good for me as anything, national championships and the Olympics. This group and what they did was very special for me."

The Serbs, who reached the final with three upset wins in the knockout stages, fought hard to keep the score respectable in the second half but had no reply for either lethal long-range shooting or superior rebounding by the United States.

The Balkan nation will have had no regrets though after securing their first World Cup podium finish as an independent nation, having also won the 2009 European championship silver medal.

Thousands of Serb fans watched the game on giant video screens in the capital Belgrade and other cities while many of them paraded in the streets with national flags after the game despite heavy rainfall and a thumping loss.

"I am so proud of my players and so honoured to have been their coach for these two months," Serbia coach Aleksandar Djordjevic said.

"I want to thank them for their effort, professionalism and most of all their heart.

"We have to congratulate the U.S. team as they were the best team in this competition. They deserved this gold medal and they really (played us off the court) tonight."

The relentless Harden added 23 points for the U.S. who had a total of eight players in double digits, while forwards Nemanja Bjelica and Nikola Kalinic stood out for Serbia with 18 points each.

European champions France won the bronze medal with a dramatic 95-93 win over Lithuania on Saturday.



(Writing by Zoran Milosavljevic; editing by Martyn Herman)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Gilas PH loses heartbreaker to Croatia

Gilas Pilipinas put up a good fight against 16th-ranked Croatia and lost by just 3 points, 81-78, in its first game in the FIBA World Cup in Spain on Saturday.

The Philippine national team, ranked 34th in FIBA, rallied from a 14-point deficit, 23-9, at the end of the first quarter to bring it down to just 6, 37-31, at the half.

Gilas kept it a close game in the 2nd half and took its first taste of the lead in the last 3 minutes of the 4th quarter after Jeff Chan hit all 3 free throws to make it 67-66 with 2:49 to go.

A drive by naturalized player Andre Blatche upped the lead to 3, 69-66, with 2:20 minutes left.

After a timeout by Croatia, they got 2 straight baskets to lead by 2, 71-69.

A jump shot by Jayson Castro put the score at 71-all with 35 seconds remaining.

The Philippines had a chance to win it but Jeff Chan missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer to send the game to overtime.

In overtime, it was close throughout but Croatia shot better, especially at the free-throw line, to beat the Philippines.

Castro had a chance to force a 2nd overtime but his 3-point shot at the buzzer missed.

The game marked the Philippines' return to the world championships, 36 years after it last competed in the 1978 FIBA Worlds. -- with reports from TJ Manotoc, ABS-CBN News

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

USA cancel Senegal trip over Ebola fears

LOS ANGELES - USA Basketball has canceled the team's trip to Senegal because of concerns over the deadly Ebola outbreak, federation chairman Jerry Colangelo said Friday.

The men's team, stocked with NBA stars, had been scheduled to visit Africa for the first time on August 27, with a day of basketball clinics, tours and other functions planned in the capital Dakar.

Although Senegal is not one of the countries so far afflicted in West Africa, Colangelo said its position bordering Guinea and Dakar's role as a gateway to West Africa heightened concerns.

"Considering this unprecedented outbreak, USA Basketball has decided to cancel our August 27 scheduled visit to Senegal," Colangelo said. "I speak for everyone at USA Basketball when I say we are extremely disappointed that we will not be able to visit Senegal.

"We will look for opportunities in the future to work with and support the Senegalese national team."

Medical charity MSF said Friday the Ebola epidemic is moving faster than authorities can handle and could take six months to bring under control.

The warning came a day after the World Health Organization said the scale of the epidemic had been vastly underestimated and that "extraordinary measures" were needed to contain the killer disease.

The UN health agency said the death toll from the worst outbreak of Ebola in four decades had now climbed to 1,145 in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

The US team's stop in Dakar was to follow an exhibition game against Slovenia on August 26 on Spain's Gran Canaria island.

The United States open their FIBA World Cup campaign against Finland in Bilbao, Spain, on August 30.

The FIBA World Cup -- formerly the World Championships -- will take place August 30 to September 14.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Lakers' Gasol congratulates Gilas

MANILA, Philippines – Los Angeles Lakers big man Pau Gasol sent his congratulations to the Philippine national basketball team on Twitter after Gilas Pilipinas qualified to the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain.

Gasol, a member of the Spain national team, congratulated Gilas, Iran and Korea after the three teams earned berth to the world championships.

“Congratulations to Gilas, Iran and Korea for qualifying for the Spain’s world championships next year! See you there!” Gasol tweeted last weekend.

Iran won the 27th FIBA Asia Men’s Basketball Championship last Sunday, with Gilas finishing in second place and South Korea ending up third.

When thanked by the Gilas Pilipinas Twitter account, Gasol replied: “It’s going to be a great championship! Congratulations again for qualifying!”

As hosts, the Spanish team already qualified to the World Cup. Olympic gold medalists United States have also qualified.

Gasol’s teammate with the Lakers, Kobe Bryant, also congratulated the Philippine team during his visit to Manila last Monday and offered some words of advice.

“Just believe in yourselves. They have to tune out the noise and don’t get all caught up in the hoopla and the attention, because if they do, they’ll forget what they can do,” Bryant said. “If they focus internally and go out there next summer ready to win.”

The 2014 FIBA World Cup will be held in six different cities in Spain from August 30 to September 14, with the final round being held in Barcelona and Madrid.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com