VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - The international windows.

They don't get old. They get better.

What did the latest window for the FIBA Continental Qualifiers show us? They are all about fun, passion, intensity and dreams. They are about David trying to beat Goliath. They are about minnows attempting to slay giants.

This window, when bubble formats were used because of the coronavirus pandemic and fans were not allowed in the arena, was arguably the most gripping one yet, since their introduction a few years ago.

It had March Madness-like shocks, from the Denmarks and Switzerlands of Europe to the Syrias and Bahrains of Asia, there were captivating performances that have stirred the embers, that ignited the passion of youngsters who now dream of playing for their national team one day.

The first jolt in this window came in Europe, when the Danes stunned Lithuania, 80-76, on Friday in Vilnius.

Denmark then celebrated the "mother of all upset windows" by downing the Czech Republic, 91-90.

Let's put this into perspective. Denmark, No. 59 in the FIBA World Ranking Presented by Nike, overcame No. 8 Lithuania and No. 9 Czech Republic - two teams that played at the FIBA Basketball World Cup!

"We should not forget that until a few years ago, Denmark was playing in the tournament for the small nations countries," Denmark coach Erez Bittman said after the win over the Czechs.

"I'm so proud about our guys. Every game they come to play, they don't care who they are playing against, if it's a player from the Spanish league or the VTB League, they are just coming to play and put their body out there for the country. For me, it's just an unbelievable achievement what we have achieved in the last 48 hours."

Switzerland, ranked No. 62, took center stage on Saturday, November 28, and beat world No. 5 Serbia, 92-90, in Espoo, Finland.

"For us, it's going to be a match we are not going to forget," Swiss coach Gianluca Barilari said.

Other games that really stood out in Europe included come-from-behind triumphs by Israel and Greece over Spain and Bulgaria, respectively, and Great Britain's Gabe Olaseni-fueled victory over Montenegro that kept British EuroBasket hopes alive.

The underdog also captured the imagination in Asia, where No. 112 Bahrain beat No. 79 Iraq after overtime in their first game, and then No. 73 India.

Meanwhile, No. 95 Syria stunned No. 22 Iran!

"Our players on the bench, they were crying," Syria veteran Wael Jlilaty said. "It was emotional and we deserved it. No singing, all crying.

"It's history for us that we can beat Iran."

Africa didn't have the big shocks, yet it had something pretty amazing.

South Sudan was not even supposed to be at the Qualifiers but Algeria withdrew, leading to an invitation just several days before the start of the event. Led by South Sudan Basketball Federation President, and pressed-into-action national team coach Luol Deng, South Sudan rebounded from a defeat to Nigeria by thumping both Mali and bubble hosts Rwanda. Yes, South Sudan, the team that wasn't even supposed to be in the Qualifiers, looks like it might reach the AfroBasket.

Uganda, meanwhile, played the most exciting games in Africa. In Alexandria, Egypt, they edged Morocco (94-90) and Cape Verde (91-88).

The Americas didn't have a big surprise but did have a riveting, back-and-forth contest between a desperate, upset-minded Colombia (No. 68) and Venezuela (No. 22), a game that saw the birth of a new Vinotinto hero, the three-point-dagger-making Jose Materan.

The effort put forth by all - the players, coaches, federations, host cities and FIBA - to have a successful window in the bubble format, was extraordinary.

The show had to go on, and the show did go on.

Jeff Taylor
FIBA

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