BRA - Marcelinho rues missed opportunities

SAO PAULO (FIBA World Championship) - Brazil guard Marcelinho has been wondering what might have been following his side's early exit from the FIBA World Championship.

Brazil were drawn in the tough Group C in Japan and were unable to progress after losing four of their five games against European champions Greece, Turkey, Australia and Lithuania.

However, three of those defeats were by six points or less - where a victory could have seen them through to the next round.

That left Marcelinho to reflect on the fine line between winning and losing.

"We were close to winning those three games, but we lost them. Basketball is a complex game," he said.

"We played some good games, but I think it wasn't our championship. Other national teams were better than us," added the Zalgiris-based guard, who will spend one week in Sao Paulo before flying back to Lithuania.

Brazil power forward Andre Bambu, who revealed the team had had a heart-to-heart after the tournament, believes a lack of know-how cost them dear in Japan.

"We had a sincere discussion after the elimination and we felt very sorry for not having won anything," he said.

"That was important for us not to feel totally disappointed. We'll try to take it as a step forward.

"The group are united, the environment has been always the best. We just didn't know how to win games. We had a lack of experience."

PA Sport