“All teams are so competitive” Luka Doncic breaks silence on shocking loss to Bosnia in EuroBasket
Luka Doncic losses 1st Eurobasket game
Luka Doncic and Slovenia suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of Bosnia in the 2022 Euro Basket. A closely contested game saw the uncharacteristic shooting from the Mavs marquee player, as he finished the game with just 16 points and shot blacks from long range.
Clutch defense in the closing quarter from Bosnia and Herzegovina forced Luka Doncic to struggle as Slovenia maintained the four-point lead for most of the 4th quarter. Reacting to the loss, Doncic seemed very upset with the schedule and expressed his concerns over the same.
“We’re going to play four games in five days,” Doncic said after Slovenia’s Monday practice “Yesterday, basically we had two games in 24 hours. Yes, this should change for everybody. Everybody is doing the same. Everybody has less rest. It’s a problem because of injuries you know. More injuries can happen. Especially the clubs wouldn’t be very glad.”
French national team captain Evan Fournier asked FIBA to modify the feverish Group stage schedule to allow more rest for the players in between games. Luka agrees with the same and highlighted that more rest would be better for players in the games.
Luka Doncic mentioned a packed schedule, tough group, and bad Officiating hampering players.
The group phase for EuroBasket 2022 began on Thursday, Sept. 1, and end on Thursday, Sept. 8. During the 8-day period, 6 teams will play 5 games, giving them just 1-day rest in between a couple of games. The knockout phase will begin on Saturday, Sept. 10, and end with the championship game on Sunday, Sept. 18. The near 3-week mega event looks very crowded, especially in the group phases, impacting players’ fitness levels.
Adding to the crowded schedule, the Doncic team is slotted into one of the toughest groups in EuroBasket 2022. They have strong competition from powerhouse teams such as Lithuania, Germany, and France, while Hungry and Bosnia are also capable of delivering an upset. 3-time NBA All-Star Luka mentioned, “This Group is insane you know. All six teams are very competitive. You could lose to any team. All the games are really great to watch. Great for fans. But it’s a really tough Group because anybody can beat you.”
Doncic was also asked about the protests on officiating that have been pretty common in this EuroBasket, especially in Group B. Doncic replied, “I think you can see. Yesterday what happened in Turkey, the technical with Lithuania. There’s a lot. But that’s something that FIBA should do so I don’t have nothing to say.”
Slovenia will face Germany next on Tuesday.
Luka Doncic and Slovenia are still on course to advance to the next stage.
Luka Doncic, one of the prolific players playing in the tournament might have struggled against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but has been sensational throughout the tournament. He might not have big scoring nights in the series but played a vital role in all departments of the game. At the end of 3 games, Doncic is averaging 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists per game for his team, and with an astonishing 3 steals a game.
Doncic and Slovenia are currently 2 – 1 in the Group of death after a recent loss. But Slovenia has already advanced to the knockout phases in Berlin. Slovenia won their first-ever tournament in 2017 after defeating Serbia 93–85 in the final in Turkey. Ironically, Luka Doncic held an 11-0 career record for Slovenia in EuroBasket play before the loss to Bosnia. The team will be looking to bounce back from the loss and repeat their 2017 feat.
Do follow us on Google News | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Kunal Chawda
(601 Articles Published)