The 2023 FIBA World Cup lived up to its hype since its start. However, the tournament topped yesterday during the Semi-Final stage as the fans witnessed the two most shocking results. Notably, Team USA and Canada filled with NBA stars were humbled by Germany and Serbia, respectively. Interestingly, many predicted an All-Americas Final matchup for the world title. But both teams are now forced to scrape against each other for third place.

After Canada’s shocker first, most NBA fans thought Team USA would not follow suit. Make no mistake, it was not the best possible USA national team. However, they were still favorites to clinch the World Cup. But they succumbed to Germany.

The favorites to win the 2023 FIBA World Cup

Team USA has won five FIBA World Cups so far and is tied for first place with Yugoslavia. After settling for Bronze in 2006, they last won the coveted title back-to-back in 2010 and 2014. But they finished the 2019 tournament with a disappointing 7th place. So fans wanted Team USA to dominate once again and show the world of their excellence.

Notably, when the squad for the 2023 World Cup was announced, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas stated his discontent with the roster. But unlike other teams, the USA was filled with NBA stars.

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The team had stars like Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and so forth. Furthermore, it was under the tutelage of reputed title-winning coaches like Steve Kerr, Erik Spoelstra, and Tyronn Lue. The team almost had it all. Almost!

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Team USA’s lack of size in the front court came as a huge shortcoming which their opponents were happy to exploit. The team lost the rebounding battle on more than one occasion and it did not help. Notably, Jaren Jackson Jr. at 6’10” is the tallest starter. Despite winning the DPOY award last season, Jackson Jr. struggled throughout the tournament averaging just 2.9 rebounds per game as per FIBA.

What went wrong for Team USA?

The trend continued for Team USA against Germany in the Semi-Final as well. Even though it was close, Germany won the rebounding battle 28-30. However, the Germans scored 25 second chance points compared to the USA’s 8. Despite losing an exhibition game against the USA a few weeks back, Germany came prepared and won the game 111-113. Forwards Daniel Theis and Moritz Wagner scored 21 and 10 points, respectively. While the size disadvantage was a problem, the biggest reason behind Team USA’s failure in the tournament could be linked to team chemistry. The players in the team apparently get along very well. However, that isn’t enough.

While players of most national teams spend a lot of time together in training camps, that isn’t the case with Team USA. Firstly, it was not clear who would opt to play in the tournament and who wouldn’t. Secondly, the stars had very little time to prepare to play alongside each other. Also, fatigue could have played a part. While the NBA is the major reason behind the USA’s dominance in basketball, the long and tiring season could also have paved the way to their collapse in the World Cup.

What went wrong for Canada?

Canada has participated in 15 World Cup tournaments so far and has not won a medal yet. Despite this, they were considered a favorite for the title because of the NBA talent in the squad. With stars like Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Luguentz Dort, and so forth, Canada was no short of firepower. Similar to Team USA, Canada won four of five games to reach the Semi-Final against Serbia.

Also, similar to Team USA, Canada lacked size, and it was very evident against the Serbian national team who won the game 95-86. The Serbians controlled the board 33-22 as per stats from FIBA. Furthermore, they dominated the paint scoring 46 points to Canada’s 32. Notably, center Nikola Milutinov was unstoppable as he scored 16 points making all six shots and grabbed 10 rebounds. Interestingly, the Serbians did not allow their size to slow them down in transition. Serbia had 12 fast break points while Canada scored 13. Furthermore, their bench came up huge racking up 30 points to Canada’s 18.

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Also, the Serbians were very efficient from the field with 71% from two-point and 45% from the three-point territory. Furthermore, the early foul trouble didn’t help Canada. However, it was a well-rounded performance from Serbia to advance to the Final despite the absence of their superstar Nikola Jokic.