Classic Games: Yugoslavia edge Argentina in thrilling 2002 Final
MIES (Switzerland) - The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2002 Final between Yugoslavia and Argentina in Indianapolis, Indiana, was a showdown that few could have predicted.
As part of our Classic Games Flashback series, this title showdown will be streamed in full at 9PM CEST (GMT+2) on Thursday on FIBA's Facebook and YouTube channels.
Yugoslavia entered the tournament as the defending champions yet the USA, as hosts and with a roster full of NBA players, were the popular pick to win. Argentina had made it to the Quarter-Finals in 1998 yet didn't reach the 2000 Olympics.
Once the title game participants were known, the South Americans had the look of a team that could go all the way after prevailing in all eight of their games. Everyone knew that Yugoslavia were dangerous, however. They had rebounded from a difficult 2-2 start with their most encouraging triumph coming in the Quarter-Finals against the United States, an 81-78 victory.
A member of the Yugoslavia team, Predrag Drobnjak recalls: "The key game was against USA. We won against Angola, lost to Spain, beat Canada, and lost to Puerto Rico, then (beat) Brazil and Turkey. We ended up third in a group and it was obvious we would play against a team that lost a game between Argentina and USA."
That contest, before the knockout round was won by Argentina, 87-80. Yugoslavia therefore had to beat the Americans on their home floor.
"I remember that, while we were watching the game, someone said: 'It's better to play against USA, not Argentina.' But against USA we were also pretty desperate, they were leading by 10. But then those (Milan) Gurovic three-pointers happened, and that changed the game."
Gurovic ended up hitting four-of-six from behind the arc to help Yugoslavia beat the USA.
A large crowd watched Yugoslavia edge Argentina in FIBA Basketball World Cup 2002 Final in Indianapolis
Dejan Bodiroga, the MVP of the 1998 World Cup, pulled many of the strings for Yugoslavia in the tournament. Yet in the Final, he took his game to a different level. He erupted for a team-high 27 points, including making a couple of key three-pointers. The team coached by Svetislav Pesic also got 26 points from Peja Stojakovic.
While Argentina's main man in Indianapolis had been rising star Manu Ginobili, another took center stage in the championship game. Fabricio Oberto, a member of the 2019 FIBA Hall of Fame class, exploded for a game-high 28 points, his biggest tally of the tournament.
Yugoslavia led 41-39 at half-time only for Argentina to outscore them, 18-11, to lead heading to the fourth quarter. In the final seconds of the contest, Yugoslavia pressured full court and Milan Gurovic knocked the ball out of Luis Scola's hands. Bodiroga then dived on the floor to grab the loose ball and passed to Vlade Divac at midcourt. The opportunistic Scola knocked the ball out of Divac's hands and was about to drive in for a potential go-ahead layup, only for the referee to blow his whistle and say he'd fouled Divac with 5.9 seconds to go.
Divac, the Yugoslavian center, went to the free-throw line, where he had struggled all tournament. He missed both attempts and Argentina's Hugo Sconochini raced up the floor to attempt a layup but he missed to leave to leave the score at 75-75. The game went to overtime.
In the extra period, neither side scored until 3:30 remained, when Stojakovic drilled a three-ball from the left wing. Yugoslavia led the rest of the way, claiming an 84-77 victory.
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