FIBA Basketball
Ermal KURTOGLU (TUR)
"This is more than a dream for us. Now it's something that I think we can actually reach."
Quotes of the Day, August 23, GROUP A
"This game is a historic moment because we didn't have any respect for our opponents. Having respect for your opponents means that you go out and try and play the best you can, play hard. But we didn't do that today. We were too relaxed."
France head coach Claude Bergeaud doesn't mince his words in trying to explain what happened as Lebanon won 74-73.
"France took the game easy at the start and we were able to get a good lead. When they realised that they would need to start playing to their abilities to beat us, it was too late."
Lebanon assistant coach - and stand-in head coach for the day - concurs with what Bergeaud said.
"We were just very motivated for this game. We lost quite heavily to Serbia & Montenegro in our last game so we just wanted to come out and do our best and we played well throughout. I was well matched-up most of the time and I tried to take advantage of it by going to the basket to try and score or get a foul call."
Lebanon Fadi El Khatib, who finished with a game-high 29 points in Lebanon's win over France.
"We played very bad in the first half whereas Lebanon played really well. We improved in the second half but not enough. We have to give credit to the Lebanese team, but this is embarrassing for us. We had problems with our outside shooting, but that has been a problem since the start of the tournament."
France starting point guard for the day Joseph Gomis gives his version of the events.
"It's unfair to try and compare our team with Argentina's in this match-up of the two champions. They are the Olympic champions but the team they have now is the same they had in Athens in 2004. The team we have now is completely different to the one that won the FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis four years ago. Today we have eleven different players from that team. So it's not a fair comparison."
Serbia & Montenegro head coach Dragan Sakota refuses the comparison suggested by a journalist as the two champions meet in tomorrow's game.
"It's tough to come back from a 10-0 start to win a game. I think they started off with a lot of intensity and it took us time to find our rhythm. Their double-digit lead then allowed them to have control of the game and they played physical basketball the rest of the way. We weren't able to adapt to their offensive strategies and we couldn't contain Igor Rakocevic."
Venezuela head coach Nestor Salazar sums up what went wrong for his team in their 90-65 loss to Serbia & Montenegro.
"I don't think I've ever had a game where I shot this well - at least not for the national team."
Argentina forward Andres Nocioni tries to recall the last time he shot 100 per cent from the field after doing it against Nigeria.
"The fans shouldn't give up on us just yet. We still have one game to go and there is still a chance of qualifying for the second round. We're a great defensive team and if we defend well tomorrow and get our offense going from there, we'll be in a position to advance."
Nigeria veteran Julius Nwosu asks the fans to stick by the team for their last game.
Quotes of the Day, August 23, GROUP B
"They're a really good team. They showed why they're a big team. I'm happy they forced us to play a different way today, but we still won. We have to learn how to play different styles. Sometimes we need to run, sometimes not. And play sometimes more inside."
Spanish coach Pepu Hernandez about the challenge his team faced against Angola.
"We have to be happy. One of the first goals was to win the group. We have to keep thinking about about the rest of the tournament and what we have to do."
Hernandez on his team clinching first place in Group B
"I think Pau is trying to improve every day and every game. He made another step. We was great in scoring and in defense too, even though the others had problems at times. It doesnt matter who you play, you have to play the same."
Hernandez on the state of the game of his star center Pau Gasol
"He's been playing really good the past two or three games. He's really an intelligent player. He played really well close to the rim and rebounded well. He plays a lot of different positions and he's very strong mentally."
Hernandez about Angola star power forward Joaquim Gomes.
"We're really happy. That was our goal coming here. But this is just the first part of the tournament. I hope we can have the same success in the second round."
Spanish power forward Jorge Garbajosa about Spain securing first place in Group B.
"We had to be concentrated the whole game. i hope they will go on in the tournament. they could be very dangerous for any team."
Spain swingman Rudy Fernandez about his team's tough effort against Angola.
"No question about this, we played great in offense and defense. And we lost against Spain because they're a great team. I have a lot of pride coaching these players. I thank them very much.
Angola coach Alberto Carvalho about his team's performance against Spain.
"We started a bit nervous, but we started controlling the game better, and we played like we did the last three games. We lost only the first quarter. Some people call our team a small team, but we play basketball."
Carvalho on Angola's start against Spain.
"When I was on the bench (with two fouls), I was thinking I have to find a way to help my team. I had to be ready and when I hit the three-pointer, that gave me a lot of confidence and it never stopped."
Angola power forward Joaquim Gomes about how he tried to do everything he could to help his team against Spain.
"Before today we won three games. We knew we had to come up big to beat Spain. We had to fewer less mistakes and play like a team. We showed the world today that we can compete at the top level. What you saw today is what you'll see the rest of the tournament. Everybody giving their best and never giving up."
Gomes about the special traits on Angola's squad
"They really learned from the mistakes they made in the first half. and that's the most important part."
German coach Dirk Bauermann about his team's impressive third quarter against Panama.
"They played a lot of zone. And they made it difficult to find a rhythm and we never did in the first half at all. But Demirel did a good job speeding up our offense. We played one good quarter. It was a pretty mediocre performance by my team."
Bauermann on Germany's struggles against Panama and praise for point guard Mithat Demirel.
"They have a good team and never gave up. They made a comeback and we had our young players on the court. But this was the fourth game in five days and we had a 20-point lead. We had a hard time keeping a high level of concentration. So we lost our focus, but that's understandable."
Bauermann about Panama and their attempts to come back in the fourth quarter.
"We knew Panama didn't play very well and couldn't find their rhythm coming into the game. In the first half, they found their game and we made some mistakes. But we played with more concentration in the second half. Every one of us knew that we played too passive in the first half. He (coach Bauermann) just told us we had to get more active on offense."
German point guard Mithat Demirel about his team's struggles early against Panama and what coach Dirk Bauermann told the team at half-time
"We are growing slowly. We didn't have a good preparation before the tournament. I thought we showed we could play better than the other nights."
Panama coach Guillermo Vecchio about his team's progress at the FIBA World Championship.
"This is the lowest point of my basketball career. It's even more disappointing for the guys from Panama who were here fighting for their country."
Panama point guard Ed Cota about his disappointment following the team's loss to Germany.
"The first 20 mintues were solid, a positive for his team. But things went back to normal."
Cota about the same subject.
"Who knows if we'll ever play together again."
Cota about his future with the Panama national team
"The team is destroyed mentally. Before hand a (loss) of 60-57 against New Zealand would have been okay. But inside us, we are really destroyed.
Japan coach Zeljko Pavlicevic on his team's devasting loss to New Zealand.
"It was hard to lose this game but we did. I have never seen a team leading by 18 points not have confidence. The responsibilty for this loss is mine. We were missing a feel for the victory. When you lead by 18 points, are you afraid of the victory. It's something that every player has to deal with this inside."
Pavlicevic on the same subject.
"I told them to play the second half like it was 0-0 and give your best in the first five minutes of the second half. And what happened, they scored five points more than us."
Pavlicevic on his team's start to the second half.
"During the game I lost my concentration and I didn't have my strength for 40 minutes. I feel really bad that I couldn't fight for 40 minutes."
Japan center Satoru Furuta on his disappointment follow his team's devastating loss to New Zealand.
"In the second half, every player stopped playing with responsibility, and they looked for others to take the responsibility. We needed to play more inside. But we kept shooting outside and we didn't get the chance to shoot free throws.
Japan veteran guard Takehiko Orimo about why Japan lost the game.
"It's true we're young. A few times I felt we were young. But that's not the reason we lost. We - the veterans - need to show them how to perform in those situations and we couldn't do that."
Orimo on failing to hold a 12-point fourth quarter lead against New Zealand.
"That was an incredibly brave effort by Japan. My heart goes out to them. The only thing that saved us is that we were just as brave. Our defense held the line long enough for some of our guys to hit some three-pointers and make it back into the game."
New Zealand coach Tab Baldwin on his team's superb comeback against Japan.
"We knew that if we had any chance to win this game we had to start hitting some of our open shots. And one of our better shooters hit the big shot at the end."
New Zealand power forward Pero Cameron on his team's comeback against Japan and Kirk Penney's game-winning three-pointer.
Quotes of the Day, August 23, GROUP C
"The most important in basketball is to play it ball-by-ball and game-by-game."
Greece's coach, Panagiotis Yannakis gives another lecture
"Qatar play very nice basketball, they just need more experience. I like them very much."
Bogdan Tanjevic of Turkey flatters the losing side.
"The most important thing is to find the optimal starting five."
Lithuania's coach, Antanas Sireika, talks about the changes he made today.
"There's so much you can give emotionally and physically. Yesterday they had a nice day, while we were in emotional war."
Australia's coach, Brian Goorjian, explains his team's collape against Lithuania
"Tomorrow we have to play like it's a gold medal game and give it all."
Brad Newley of Australia knows what's on stake
"There are 1,000 reasons why this game is so special for us."
Ermal Kurtoglu of Turkey is getting ready for Greece
"This is more than a dream for us. Now it's something that I think we can actually reach."
Ermal KURTOGLU can spot a medal in the near future.
Quotes of the day, August 23 GROUP D
"I think we got a little bit hungry because we were down at half time so We knew that we couldn't play any worse than we were playing in the first half."
"It felt great to make those shots."
Superman Carmelo Anthony after scoring a record 35 points for Team USA at a FIBA World Championship in his team's victory against Italy
"It was a good win for us and very important. We really played like a team and we have improved a lot in defense."
China coach Jonas kazlauskas finally had something to smile about as his team clinched their first triumph at the FIBA World Championship after defeating Senegal.
"This is a learning process for us. We have a young team, we must improve and I'm sure it will be a good experience for us in the future."
Senegal captain Makhtar N'Diaye after they lost to China, their fourth consecutive defeat in Japan
"We are not here to send any messages, we have already shown enough quality to have made it to Japan. Every team in this tournament is very good.
"Everybody knows that Slovenia are a good team, sometimes we don't play concentrated enough and that it's our main problem."
Slovenia shooting guard Jaka Lakovic believes his national team have nothing to prove
"We missed a good chance today. The players didn't give the ideal effort against Slovenia and I am surprised. We attempted to get back into the game but we didn't have it in ourselves today.
"Now we must look to our next game against Italy which is a very important and hard game for us."
Puerto Rico coach Julio Toro admits his team have complicated their chances of finishing third of Group D after their defeat against Slovenia
"This game is a historic moment because we didn't have any respect for our opponents. Having respect for your opponents means that you go out and try and play the best you can, play hard. But we didn't do that today. We were too relaxed."
France head coach Claude Bergeaud doesn't mince his words in trying to explain what happened as Lebanon won 74-73.
"France took the game easy at the start and we were able to get a good lead. When they realised that they would need to start playing to their abilities to beat us, it was too late."
Lebanon assistant coach - and stand-in head coach for the day - concurs with what Bergeaud said.
"We were just very motivated for this game. We lost quite heavily to Serbia & Montenegro in our last game so we just wanted to come out and do our best and we played well throughout. I was well matched-up most of the time and I tried to take advantage of it by going to the basket to try and score or get a foul call."
Lebanon Fadi El Khatib, who finished with a game-high 29 points in Lebanon's win over France.
"We played very bad in the first half whereas Lebanon played really well. We improved in the second half but not enough. We have to give credit to the Lebanese team, but this is embarrassing for us. We had problems with our outside shooting, but that has been a problem since the start of the tournament."
France starting point guard for the day Joseph Gomis gives his version of the events.
"It's unfair to try and compare our team with Argentina's in this match-up of the two champions. They are the Olympic champions but the team they have now is the same they had in Athens in 2004. The team we have now is completely different to the one that won the FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis four years ago. Today we have eleven different players from that team. So it's not a fair comparison."
Serbia & Montenegro head coach Dragan Sakota refuses the comparison suggested by a journalist as the two champions meet in tomorrow's game.
"It's tough to come back from a 10-0 start to win a game. I think they started off with a lot of intensity and it took us time to find our rhythm. Their double-digit lead then allowed them to have control of the game and they played physical basketball the rest of the way. We weren't able to adapt to their offensive strategies and we couldn't contain Igor Rakocevic."
Venezuela head coach Nestor Salazar sums up what went wrong for his team in their 90-65 loss to Serbia & Montenegro.
"I don't think I've ever had a game where I shot this well - at least not for the national team."
Argentina forward Andres Nocioni tries to recall the last time he shot 100 per cent from the field after doing it against Nigeria.
"The fans shouldn't give up on us just yet. We still have one game to go and there is still a chance of qualifying for the second round. We're a great defensive team and if we defend well tomorrow and get our offense going from there, we'll be in a position to advance."
Nigeria veteran Julius Nwosu asks the fans to stick by the team for their last game.
Quotes of the Day, August 23, GROUP B
"They're a really good team. They showed why they're a big team. I'm happy they forced us to play a different way today, but we still won. We have to learn how to play different styles. Sometimes we need to run, sometimes not. And play sometimes more inside."
Spanish coach Pepu Hernandez about the challenge his team faced against Angola.
"We have to be happy. One of the first goals was to win the group. We have to keep thinking about about the rest of the tournament and what we have to do."
Hernandez on his team clinching first place in Group B
"I think Pau is trying to improve every day and every game. He made another step. We was great in scoring and in defense too, even though the others had problems at times. It doesnt matter who you play, you have to play the same."
Hernandez on the state of the game of his star center Pau Gasol
"He's been playing really good the past two or three games. He's really an intelligent player. He played really well close to the rim and rebounded well. He plays a lot of different positions and he's very strong mentally."
Hernandez about Angola star power forward Joaquim Gomes.
"We're really happy. That was our goal coming here. But this is just the first part of the tournament. I hope we can have the same success in the second round."
Spanish power forward Jorge Garbajosa about Spain securing first place in Group B.
"We had to be concentrated the whole game. i hope they will go on in the tournament. they could be very dangerous for any team."
Spain swingman Rudy Fernandez about his team's tough effort against Angola.
"No question about this, we played great in offense and defense. And we lost against Spain because they're a great team. I have a lot of pride coaching these players. I thank them very much.
Angola coach Alberto Carvalho about his team's performance against Spain.
"We started a bit nervous, but we started controlling the game better, and we played like we did the last three games. We lost only the first quarter. Some people call our team a small team, but we play basketball."
Carvalho on Angola's start against Spain.
"When I was on the bench (with two fouls), I was thinking I have to find a way to help my team. I had to be ready and when I hit the three-pointer, that gave me a lot of confidence and it never stopped."
Angola power forward Joaquim Gomes about how he tried to do everything he could to help his team against Spain.
"Before today we won three games. We knew we had to come up big to beat Spain. We had to fewer less mistakes and play like a team. We showed the world today that we can compete at the top level. What you saw today is what you'll see the rest of the tournament. Everybody giving their best and never giving up."
Gomes about the special traits on Angola's squad
"They really learned from the mistakes they made in the first half. and that's the most important part."
German coach Dirk Bauermann about his team's impressive third quarter against Panama.
"They played a lot of zone. And they made it difficult to find a rhythm and we never did in the first half at all. But Demirel did a good job speeding up our offense. We played one good quarter. It was a pretty mediocre performance by my team."
Bauermann on Germany's struggles against Panama and praise for point guard Mithat Demirel.
"They have a good team and never gave up. They made a comeback and we had our young players on the court. But this was the fourth game in five days and we had a 20-point lead. We had a hard time keeping a high level of concentration. So we lost our focus, but that's understandable."
Bauermann about Panama and their attempts to come back in the fourth quarter.
"We knew Panama didn't play very well and couldn't find their rhythm coming into the game. In the first half, they found their game and we made some mistakes. But we played with more concentration in the second half. Every one of us knew that we played too passive in the first half. He (coach Bauermann) just told us we had to get more active on offense."
German point guard Mithat Demirel about his team's struggles early against Panama and what coach Dirk Bauermann told the team at half-time
"We are growing slowly. We didn't have a good preparation before the tournament. I thought we showed we could play better than the other nights."
Panama coach Guillermo Vecchio about his team's progress at the FIBA World Championship.
"This is the lowest point of my basketball career. It's even more disappointing for the guys from Panama who were here fighting for their country."
Panama point guard Ed Cota about his disappointment following the team's loss to Germany.
"The first 20 mintues were solid, a positive for his team. But things went back to normal."
Cota about the same subject.
"Who knows if we'll ever play together again."
Cota about his future with the Panama national team
"The team is destroyed mentally. Before hand a (loss) of 60-57 against New Zealand would have been okay. But inside us, we are really destroyed.
Japan coach Zeljko Pavlicevic on his team's devasting loss to New Zealand.
"It was hard to lose this game but we did. I have never seen a team leading by 18 points not have confidence. The responsibilty for this loss is mine. We were missing a feel for the victory. When you lead by 18 points, are you afraid of the victory. It's something that every player has to deal with this inside."
Pavlicevic on the same subject.
"I told them to play the second half like it was 0-0 and give your best in the first five minutes of the second half. And what happened, they scored five points more than us."
Pavlicevic on his team's start to the second half.
"During the game I lost my concentration and I didn't have my strength for 40 minutes. I feel really bad that I couldn't fight for 40 minutes."
Japan center Satoru Furuta on his disappointment follow his team's devastating loss to New Zealand.
"In the second half, every player stopped playing with responsibility, and they looked for others to take the responsibility. We needed to play more inside. But we kept shooting outside and we didn't get the chance to shoot free throws.
Japan veteran guard Takehiko Orimo about why Japan lost the game.
"It's true we're young. A few times I felt we were young. But that's not the reason we lost. We - the veterans - need to show them how to perform in those situations and we couldn't do that."
Orimo on failing to hold a 12-point fourth quarter lead against New Zealand.
"That was an incredibly brave effort by Japan. My heart goes out to them. The only thing that saved us is that we were just as brave. Our defense held the line long enough for some of our guys to hit some three-pointers and make it back into the game."
New Zealand coach Tab Baldwin on his team's superb comeback against Japan.
"We knew that if we had any chance to win this game we had to start hitting some of our open shots. And one of our better shooters hit the big shot at the end."
New Zealand power forward Pero Cameron on his team's comeback against Japan and Kirk Penney's game-winning three-pointer.
Quotes of the Day, August 23, GROUP C
"The most important in basketball is to play it ball-by-ball and game-by-game."
Greece's coach, Panagiotis Yannakis gives another lecture
"Qatar play very nice basketball, they just need more experience. I like them very much."
Bogdan Tanjevic of Turkey flatters the losing side.
"The most important thing is to find the optimal starting five."
Lithuania's coach, Antanas Sireika, talks about the changes he made today.
"There's so much you can give emotionally and physically. Yesterday they had a nice day, while we were in emotional war."
Australia's coach, Brian Goorjian, explains his team's collape against Lithuania
"Tomorrow we have to play like it's a gold medal game and give it all."
Brad Newley of Australia knows what's on stake
"There are 1,000 reasons why this game is so special for us."
Ermal Kurtoglu of Turkey is getting ready for Greece
"This is more than a dream for us. Now it's something that I think we can actually reach."
Ermal KURTOGLU can spot a medal in the near future.
Quotes of the day, August 23 GROUP D
"I think we got a little bit hungry because we were down at half time so We knew that we couldn't play any worse than we were playing in the first half."
"It felt great to make those shots."
Superman Carmelo Anthony after scoring a record 35 points for Team USA at a FIBA World Championship in his team's victory against Italy
"It was a good win for us and very important. We really played like a team and we have improved a lot in defense."
China coach Jonas kazlauskas finally had something to smile about as his team clinched their first triumph at the FIBA World Championship after defeating Senegal.
"This is a learning process for us. We have a young team, we must improve and I'm sure it will be a good experience for us in the future."
Senegal captain Makhtar N'Diaye after they lost to China, their fourth consecutive defeat in Japan
"We are not here to send any messages, we have already shown enough quality to have made it to Japan. Every team in this tournament is very good.
"Everybody knows that Slovenia are a good team, sometimes we don't play concentrated enough and that it's our main problem."
Slovenia shooting guard Jaka Lakovic believes his national team have nothing to prove
"We missed a good chance today. The players didn't give the ideal effort against Slovenia and I am surprised. We attempted to get back into the game but we didn't have it in ourselves today.
"Now we must look to our next game against Italy which is a very important and hard game for us."
Puerto Rico coach Julio Toro admits his team have complicated their chances of finishing third of Group D after their defeat against Slovenia