Davis Bertans very nearly stole the game.
With seven seconds left in the ball game, Latvia's Davis Bertans got the defensive rebound against Germany. With two seconds left, he pulled up for a three. to win He missed.
Latvia's Cinderella run came to an end as Germany pulled through, 81-79, in the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Cup. Bertans covered his face, and his teammates rushed to comfort him.
"We trust him," Rodions Kurucs told reporters after the game. "He definitely was hitting big shots all game. We trust him."
"We were not lucky."
Bertans finished with 20 points, his best in a FIBA World Cup game. But it was not enough.
"I'm extremely proud of this team, battling every single game. We put ourselves in a position to make it, not because of any individual player, but because we play as a team, we play the right way," Bertans said during the postgame press conference on Wednesday.
"Unfortunately, we couldn't get it done again."
It was an impressive journey for Latvia, a debutant team that lost star player Kristaps Porzingis before the tournament due to an injury, along with captain Dairis Bertans at the start of the competition. It nonetheless beat France in the group stage, 88-86, before shocking defending champions Spain, 74-69 in the second round.
For Kurucs, the key to this Latvian team was simple.
"Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry. And fighting spirit," he told One Sports. "We've been playing together, we support each other. We play as one team."
"We gave [Germany] a big fight, gave them a reason to worry at the end of the game. [This] gives us confidence that we can play against everybody, in my opinion," he added.
And Deutschland did have a reason to worry. Latvia forced Dennis Schroder to shoot 0-for-8 from the three-point line, the joint-most attempts for a player with no makes in a FIBA World Cup game this year. In total, he only made 4 out of 26 field goals.
"Maybe somebody forget we have faced a team with four NBA players and tons of EuroLeague players. I believe we did an excellent job," coach Luca Banchi said in the postgame press conference. "But at some point, when you face such kind of teams, it can happen."
"Our defense tonight was almost perfect. In that moment, we missed a little bit of our focus. Also, our offense, we became a little bit rushed," Banchi admitted.
"Who can make a team perfect? We are not perfect, but we are proud of our imperfections."
Latvia is technically still not done in the tournament. It will play qualification games, starting with Italy.
"Before the end of this tournament, we will have such an opportunity to play against the best of the world. It's time to use it," Banchi said.
"We have to play and we have to play well," he added, "because only competing with the best can make you evolve."
Latvia fell short against one of the world's best teams in Germany. But not after giving Dennis Schroder and company a scare.
(MDB)