FanPost

FIBA World Championship 2014 Preview

Hello TDS! It's been a long time since the last of those annoying World basketball posts I make and keep making for whatever reason, and yet again I am here to remind you that there is, in fact, basketball played outside the United States of America, and that the World Championship is nigh upon us. Without further ado, let's jump in for more details!

Tournament Format

The 24 teams that take part in the tournament are split into four groups of six, named A to D. After a round-robin best-of-one the best four teams from each group advance to the next round, where group A will cross group B and group C will be matched against group D. In true playoff style, the better you have placed in the group, the lower-placed your opponent will be.

All games are single elimination now, and from the round of 16 to the finals it is a pretty obvious format. Just to reinforce the message though, here is a nice graph from the official website:

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via www.fiba.com

The third place game is relatively irrelevant, but since FIBA insists on giving medals (in emulation of the Olympics) it is necessary.

Groups and predictions

Group A

  • Brazil - FIBA rank: 10th, finished 9th in Turkey. Brazil are on a program similar to what Jerry Colangelo designed for the US national team en route to the Beijing Olympics, aiming to make a splash come 2016. Brazil come as stacked as they can be, having ensured the services of NBA veterans Anderson Varejao, Nene and Leandro Barbosa and Tiago Splitter, following his first NBA ring. A notable presence is also Marcelinho Huertas, the ever-smiling combo guard who earns his living playing for spanish powerhouse Barcelona. They are more athletic than the average european squad and play flashier than most teams from the Old Continent. They are prime quarter finals material, the rest depends on their opponents.
  • Spain - FIBA rank: 2nd, finished 6th in Turkey. Juan Antonio Orenga is coaching this formidable Spain side that figures to be one of the challengers for the world crown. Rumors say that his illoustrious squad is ignoring him more often than not, but the squad features a mix of seasoned veterans and more seasoned veterans. Six of the ten guys that will see regular playing time are NBA players, including household names Pau Gasol, Mark Gasol and Ricky Rubio (who is a household name in Minnesota, don't judge me). Home court advantage is a double-edged sword, but I think Spain are a lock for the semi finals, barring a monumental collapse.
  • France - FIBA rank: 8th, finished 13th in Turkey. 2013 saw the end of the curse that wanted talented France sides going deep in the all-European tournament but always falling just short of winning it all. Tony Parker, main engineer of that feat, will not be there, as will Joakim Noah and Nando de Colo. This leaves the burden on Nicolas Batum's sturdy little shoulders, along with long time NBAer Boris Diaw and fresh arrivals Evan Fournier (Nuggets) and Rudy Gobert (Evil Utah Jazz). Frankly, I don't think France can go too deep this year, maybe quarters if they get a good bracket draw.
  • Serbia - FIBA rank: 11th, finished 4th in Turkey. Serbia is a team that lives and dies by Milos Teodosic. The bipolar point guard can win games by himself - either creating for his teammates or executing himself - but he can also doom his team. Serbia has no other player of this magnitude, and no adequate replacement for Teodosic, should he not show up. Their coach, Sasa Djordjevic, beat as a PG a US side coached by Rudy T and led by none other than Brad Miller in the '98 WC.
  • Iran - FIBA rank: 20th, finished 19th in Turkey. Iran are now the Asian champions, having dethroned China, and presented a thoroughly respectable showing last Worlds. With a team composed (almost) entirely of players of the home league Iran seems to be one of the designated punch bags of the group. They are supposed to show a balanced offense and be hard on the defensive side.
  • Egypt - FIBA rank: 46th, didn't participate in Turkey. Not much stands out in this Egypt side. A crop of homegrown talent with the tallest player coming in at 6'9'' Egypt is bound to be outmuscled and outrebounded by every opponent in this group. If you want a dark horse pick Iran.
My prediction: Spain comes out unscathed, Brazil second. Serbia and France complete the first four.

Group B

  • Greece - FIBA rank: 5th, finished 11th in Turkey. Greece haven't had a good finish in a tournament since 2009, but after lots of internal turmoil and coach changes it looks like they are finally on stable ground again. Greece brings a more balanced and clear-cut roster to this event than in previous contests, with much-needed youth complementing the experience the elder statesmen have accumulated. Our own Kostas Papanikolaou is expected to be a valuable piece of the puzzle, as Greece deviates from the guard-laden success formula of the past and returns to more traditional compositions.
  • Puerto Rico - FIBA rank: 17th, finished 18th in Turkey. Consistency is the name of the game for Puerto Rico: ever present in World Cups but only reaching quarters once in the last 16 years, but occupuying a high perch in the Americas pecking order, Puerto Rico's greatest weapon still is Carlos Arroyo, the crafty 35-year old SG that currently plays in Turkey. Jose Barea will be complementing him in the backcourt but has less of a commanding role in this team. Not to be underestimated.
  • Argentina - FIBA rank: 3rd, finished 5th in Turkey. Luis Scola led all scorers in Turkey with a memorable 27.1 points per contest. In this tournament he will have to shoulder an even greater burden, since Manu Ginobili, our favorite flopping Spur, will be sitting out. Old reliables Pablo Prigioni and Andres Nocioni will complement him, but if the young guns can't fill the shoes of this generation, Argentina is going to be lost from the basketball map of the world within the next two years.
  • Croatia - FIBA rank: 16th, finished 14th in Turkey. Maybe Croatia's biggest asset is their coach, Jasmin Repesa. Coaching for almost 20 years he has won 14 titles on a club level, and he's coming fresh off of the Croatian league and Croatian cup. He has Ante Tomic at his disposal, an elite 7-footer that belongs to the cream of European bigs, boasting an arsenal of inside moves and currently in his prime. Prodigy Dario Saric and veteran Roko Leni Ukic flank him in a Croatian squad that is coming off of a top 4 finish in last year's Eurobasket.
  • Senegal - FIBA rank 41st, did not qualify for Turkey. Senegal is a big unknown - except for Gorgui Dieng, who played for Luisville and is currently playing spot minutes for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Only two of the squad members actually play in Senegal though, ensuring a wealth of international experience for a team that seems determined to make its mark in the international stage. As is the case with most unknown teams, underestimating them can lead to bitter surprises.
  • Philippines - FIBA rank: 34th, did not qualify for Turkey. I hesitate to say much about the Philippines, as we have some resident experts that will detect the BS I am spewing here. Andray Blatche is the most noteable player in this squad (and also gets bonus style points for having an official photograph in the fetal position). I really don't know anything about this team.
I expect Senegal and the Philippines to put up a fight but gracefully leave the tournament. I think Croatia will top the group, Greece will come second and Puerto Rico will share third and fourth.
The rest shall come tomorrow as it is 1PM here and I need to sleep. Good night Dream Shake!

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