PIRAEUS (Greece) - There was some drama - after all, we're in the birthplace of the dramatic art - but in the end, it's the two group winners who will go head to head for the ticket to the Paris Games.
Croatia and Greece meet in the Final of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament Greece 2024, tipping off on Sunday, at 21:00 local time (20:00 CET).
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"[We plan to stop Giannis] by all means that are allowed by law." - Croatia head coach Josip Sesar
Key matchup
"I guard him all the time in the NBA," Ivica Zubac said about a potential matchup with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and provided a window into what Croatia might try in the battle of two giants.
Zubac has been unstoppable so far in the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus, averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds and an efficiency rating of 36.3 per game. The 27-year-old Croatian seven-footer is so good at establishing position near the paint on the offensive end, while his drop coverage in defense helps Croatia build a wall in front of the rim.
This is exactly what you need if you want to stop Giannis Antetokounmpo. The 30-year-old Greek Freak has played on a minutes restriction, albeit generous, in this tournament as coach Vasilis Spanoulis and his staff rather be safe than sorry after the Milwaukee Bucks.star's return to action following a three-month hiatus.
Still, Giannis was dominant when on the court. He put up 22.5 points on 73.9 percent shooting in just 19.5 minutes per game. Safe to say, his minutes will go up with the Olympics on the line.
The two NBAers went head to head back at FIBA EuroBasket 2022, where Zubac was the primary defender on Antetokounmpo, slowing him down to a 9-of-24 shooting night, but the Greek Freak still finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks in an 89-85 win in Italy.
Zubac had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks on the other end.
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X factors
While big time numbers are expected from the NBA players, the guard battle could be interesting and could decide the winner, because both Thomas Walkup and Jaleen Smith have played crucial roles in the Semi-Finals.
Walkup had a team-high 19 points against Slovenia on Saturday, while Smith scored 10 of his 14 points in the final stanza against the Dominican Republic, just enough for Croatia to take the lead and hold on to it in the closing minute.
Players and coaches always repeat the mantra that games like these bring out the best out of players. It's up to Walkup and Smith to provide the extra scoring punch, especially from outside the arc, to open up more space to work with for Antetokounmpo and Zubac, respectively.
Stats don't lie
For Croatia, the big plan is to stop the hot shooting from Greece. Vasilis Spanoulis's men are shooting a whopping 45.7 percent from deep in Piraeus, with ten different players making at least one three-pointer.
Special attention goes out to Giannoulis Larentzakis (9-of-19 from deep so far), Vasilis Toliopoulos (7-of-11), Dinos Mitoglou (5-of-8) and Vasilis Charalampopoulos, who is yet to miss a three-pointer at this event (5-of-5).
For Greece, it's about stealing the rebounds from Croatia, because the red-and-white have been nearly perfect on the glass on both ends. They average 40.7 rebounds per game, exactly 10 more than Greece, and they pick up 9.7 offensive boards a night, with 10 second chance points.
If Croatia win the rebounds again, they can control the rhythm of the game. If Greece show up in the skies above the court, then they could show up in the skies above Paris in three weeks' time.
Past matchups
Along with the aforementioned FIBA EuroBasket bout, Croatia and Greece have a relatively recent encounter from 2016. In the Semi-Finals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Turin, Italy Croatia won the low-scoring affair 66-61.
Dario Saric, Mario Hezonja and Filip Kruslin were on Croatia's roster back then, Saric putting up 16 points and 8 rebounds en route to winning the MVP of the Tournament award, while Hezonja scored 6 points with 4 rebounds back then.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had Saric as his primary defender then, and was held to 3-of-14 shooting, including 0-of-7 from three-point range, finishing with 9 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Nick Calathes is another returning member from 2016, he had 3 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists before fouling out, while Vassilis Charalampopoulos was on the roster but did not play in 2016.
Overall, counting in the friendlies and the official games, Greece are up 14-13 against Croatia all-time.
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They said
"I'm glad we won even if we played bad against the Dominican Republic. We will have to give it our all to defeat Greece in the Final. I am not surprised that Greece are playing well here, these are all Final Four players, EuroLeague players, serious players who mean a lot to their teams. That's why they didn't surprise me, and we need to be excellent both on defense and offense in the Final." - Mario Hezonja, Croatia
"By all means that are allowed by law." - Croatia head coach Josip Sesar when asked how are they planning to stop Giannis Antetokounmpo.
"Since we put this team together, we take it one game at a time, and we're taking each game bravely. We're searching for ways to win games, and we'll try to do the same in the Final, too, to figure out how to go up against Greece in what will surely be a good atmosphere. I got to be honest, I'm really looking forward to the game." - Sesar again
"We have 40 minutes until we achieve our goal. That's our main target. We have to rest and get ready for the next one." - Dinos Mitoglou, Greece
"We have a plan, and the most important thing when you have a plan is for the player to buy into it. We have very high IQ players with great willingness to play for the national team, they play amazing, especially on defense, and this makes everything easier. We had a great game (against Slovenia), but that's it. We have to forget it and move to the next one." - Greece head coach Vasilis Spanoulis
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