Greece Weather Serbian Storm

In basketball there can be only one winner at the end of the game, but after tonight's game both Greece and Serbia left the court with the feeling as if they had won the game.

The official score-sheet say that Greece won 68-67 in overtime and got the ticket for the next round taking on a 2-0 record in Group A at Granada, while Serbia dropped to 0-2 and must beat Israel tomorrow to stay in the competition.

Theodoros Papaloukas had eight big points for Greece.

But this game was about much more than basketball. Serbia wanted to prove they can match up with the champs, and bring some pride back against the team which won the title on their home court two years ago. They have certainly achieved that.

The pupils of coach Slavnic deserve big compliments for fighting against the stubborn champions who showed plenty of character themselves.

"The game was won by small details – one shot or one mistake," said Demos Dikoudis who connected on a big three-pointer with 40 seconds to go in the overtime to give Greece a 68-64 lead.

Serbia managed to cut the difference to one, and even had a chance to win with a desperate shot by Marko Jaric, but center Lazaros Papadopoulos was there in time to block the shot and secure the second win of Greece.

Greece feared the desperate shot for a reason. At the end of regulation Milan Gurovic released the ball one step inside the half court on the right hand side of the court to send the game to overtime with the teams tied at 56-56.

Both teams struggled for 40 minutes and the extra time to get the ball in the hoop. It wasn't a beautiful basketball game, but one that every fan would enjoy for its intensity.

"I don't care if we played good or bad. I always have only one target when I play and that's to win," said Theodoros Papaloukas after the game, to explain what Greece is all about.

While Greece shared the points between almost the entire team and entered the overtime with just one player in double digits, Serbia based their game on big man Darko Milicic, who stepped up and showed he can handle the toughest defense in Europe.

Milicic carried the team on his back, scoring 17 points, grabbing six rebounds and blocking three shots, but mostly was the center of his team's game. He showed his big talent and team play.

Already after five minutes it was clear where this game was going. Every basket took forever and big sweat from each team, as Greece led 7-3, and by the end of the first quarter 12-11.
No team allowed the other to make a run. By half time the score was 31-31, just like Greece's game yesterday against Israel. While Greece's biggest lead was up to seven, Serbia couldn't go further than a four points ahead.

Jaric, who finished as the top scorer for Serbia with 18 points, made it a one point game with nine seconds to play in regulation, but when Serbia tried to foul Dikoudis managed to find an empty spot on court and got the ball open in front of the basket.

Instead of running the time down he slammed the ball and started celebrating, but Gurovic had a different idea, and his unbelievable shot sent the teams to overtime.

"I didn't have a good game, but I owe my teammates a lot because they covered for me and left their heart on court," said Gurovic after the game.

Greece showed big character not falling apart after the big shock, and the teams continued to fight till the very last seconds.

Gurovic fouled out with 2:30 minutes to play in the extra period, but Jaric stepped up with four big points that kept Serbia close, before Dikoudis set it straight for Greece.

Serbia will face Israel tomorrow for a win-or-die game, while Greece will play Russia for the first spot in the group.

source : eurobasket2007.org