On September 13, Beijing time, the top 8 battles of the 2022 Men’s Basketball European Cup will start one after another in the early hours of this evening.
Here are the preliminary predictions for the 4 games:
1. Germany vs Greece
In the top 8 battle, the match between Germany and Greece is undoubtedly a focused battle.
Before reaching the knockout stage, Giannis Antetokounmpo accidentally sprained his ankle in the final group match against Estonia. However, in the round of 16 against the Czech Republic, Antetokounmpo played the key role again. He played 33 minutes, made 8 of 17 shots, scored 27 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 block. In the final stage of the game, he used two key three-pointers The ball sealed the victory for Greece.
But that night, Antetokounmpo also encountered great trouble in the attack. The Czech team firmly contracted the inside line, blocked the breakthrough path of Antetokounmpo, and forced Antetokounmpo to attack only on the outside line. This move also received good results. . In the future top 8 battle, the German team can completely replicate such a strategy.
On the German side, they defeated Montenegro in the first game of the knockout round. That night, the core guard Schroder scored 22 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 steal, but he also handed over 5 mistakes under strict precautions. The striker Franz – Wagner had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 1 block.
But the bad news is that Wagner Jr. sprained his ankle in the last game. The injury is still unclear. Whether he can play in the quarter-finals and whether his state (if he can play) will be affected is now unknown.
2. Slovenia vs Poland
The match between Slovenia and Poland, on paper, the strength gap between the two teams is quite large. But with Serbia being overturned by Italy before the super upset as a foreshadowing, I believe that Slovenia will not dare to have any underestimation of the enemy.
At the personnel level, Slovenia has also encountered a little trouble. The latest news today said that the core Luka Doncic missed the team’s training and his right ankle was also wrapped in a thick ice pack. At present, Doncic walks smoothly, but it is not clear the severity of his injury, which has undoubtedly become a huge hidden danger for Slovenia to prepare for the war.
On the Polish side, after defeating Ukraine on the field, the morale of the whole team was like a rainbow. The naturalized defender AJ Slaughter and the striker core Matthaus Ponetka in the Polish team will be the two key figures for the team to block the Slovenia team in the quarter-finals. On the ball, both of them also scored 20+ points.
3. France VS Italy
The French team played the ball and died against Turkey, completing an incredible reversal. However, the team did not have much time to celebrate and rest. In the quarter-finals, they will fall into a fierce battle with Italy again.
For France, the good sign is that Rudy Gobert’s state is getting better and better. In the game against Turkey, he made 7 of 11 shots and scored 20 points and 17 rebounds efficiently. However, since the backcourt host De Colo did not compete with the team in this European Cup, the team lacked high-quality organizers, and the problem of chaotic attack and series was still manifested in many times.
In addition, the match with Italy, the French team’s defense, especially the defense of the perimeter, may face a greater test. On the ball, the Italian team scored 16 three-pointers, with a three-point shooting rate of 42.1%. Simon Fontezio and Marco Spisu are both accurate and flexible shooters. The French team needs to be in the game. Put a lot of thought into limiting them, and Gobert needs to be prepared to switch frequently to the perimeter to block opponents’ shots.
However, in terms of historical record, Italy has not been able to beat France in the European Cup for 19 years. In this regard, the French team still has a certain psychological advantage.
4. Finland vs Spain
In the round of 16, Spain went through extra time before they beat Lithuania in a thrilling way. That night, naturalized guard Lorenzo Brown became Spain’s promotion hero, scoring 28 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals on 9-of-20 shooting. In addition, Willie Hernangomez made 7 of 11 shots and scored 21 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.
However, after entering the quarter-finals, Spain will not be easy, because Finland, led by Markkanen, has entered the quarter-finals of the European Cup for the first time since 1967, and its fighting spirit is now at a high point.
In this European Cup, Markkanen is undoubtedly the most dazzling NBA star in addition to the three superstars of Antetokounmpo, Doncic and Jokic. In the group stage, he averaged 24.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, and the efficiency entered “180 Club”. In the round of 16, Markkanen efficiently scored 43 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 0 turnovers in the whole game, writing his name into the legend of the European Cup history.
It can be said that in the quarter-finals in the future, how Markkanen plays will directly determine the trend of the game, and for the core of Finland, Spain must also adopt a special strategy to limit it. Now, after saying goodbye to the veterans of the golden age, Spain’s strength has obviously declined, while the Finnish team is getting better and better this time.
In the past 55 years, Spain and Finland have easily won the European Cup four times, but this time, Finland may have a great chance to win. (Poirot)Return to Sohu, see more
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