Meet Team Serbia, USA's final hurdle at FIBA World Cup
MADRID - Serbia stands in the way of history Sunday, when Team USA will attempt to become just the third team to ever repeat as world champions in the FIBA World Cup finale.
Yet as they see it, though, it's their chance to make history of a different kind.
Since starting the national program in 2007 that was previously Serbia and Montenegro, this group has never faced the Americans. Nor have they won an international tournament, with a second-place finish in the 2009 Eurobasket and a fourth-place finish in the 2010 FIBA tournament as top showings.
'They have a lot at stake here I feel, and they're outspoken about it,' Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo told USA TODAY Sports about Serbia. 'This is their opportunity they've been waiting for, and they have a dream. But so do we, so it works both ways.'
The Serbians are overhwhelming underdogs here, but they are a talented group with an NBA-caliber backcourt that will challenge the Americans. Point guard Milos Teodosic (of CSKA Moscow) showed what he can do in a Friday night win over France, scoring 24 points in all and helping the Serbians lead by as many as 18 points early on. Shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (Fenerbahce in Turkey) is giving the Phoenix Suns an early preview of what he will eventually do for them, as he was the 27th pick in last year's draft but won't reach the NBA until he can get out of his current contract in 2016.
'They're probably the hottest team, and they're playing at a high level,' USA coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Serbia. 'They have stars on their team, and Teodosic, I loved him when I saw him in the World Championships in '10, Bogdanovic is a rising star. Their big guys (including former NBA big man Nenad Krstic) are good, they're well coached, and they're strong. They can hurt you from many different positions.
'They're just playing great basketball right now. Actually, it's beautiful to see. I hope I don't see that beauty tomorrow night.'
Serbia was just 2-3 in the pool play portion of the tournament, but wins over Greece, Brazil and France have brought them to this point. USA shooting guard Klay Thompson will likely head the defensive effort on the perimeter, but he doesn't see the upset unfolding so long as the Americans continue their dominating ways.
'We've just got to do what we've been doing, just wearing on teams for all 40 minutes,' Thompson said.
So are the Americans unbeatable at the moment?
'If we play unselfish and we play hard and we play every possession, I don't think any team can beat us,' Thompson answered. '(It's) just because we're so deep, and we're so athletic that it's tough for teams to keep up for 40 minutes. Teams can hang in for 25, for 30 minutes, but if we wear on teams I think we're almost unbeatable.'
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