FIBA Basketball World Cup Memorable Moments: Lithuania's power of recovery

MADRID (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - One of the proudest moments in Lithuanian basketball history occurred at the 2010 FIBA World Championship when the Baltic country stunned Argentina in the Quarter-Finals.

The team coached by Kestutis Kemzura eventually finished third.

Needing a wild card to take part in the competition after a dismal EuroBasket the year before in Poland, the Lithuanians travelled to Turkey and impressed everyone as they went unbeaten in the Preliminary Round and then knocked off China in the Eighth-Finals.

In the Quarter-Finals, many expected Lithuania's run to come to an end because they were going to face the No. 1 team in the FIBA Ranking Men at the time.

Argentina, despite the absences of Andres Nocioni and Manu Ginobili, were hitting their stride.

They had just prevailed in a riveting clash against Brazil, 93-89, one in which Argentina's Luis Scola had scored 37 points and pulled down nine rebounds.

Scola and Co were in the clouds and looking like a team that was headed for the podium.

Although Lithuania carried a six-game winning streak into the game, their previous two victories had come against a weak Lebanon and a China that had only scraped its way into the knockout phase.

The Quarter-Final started at a breakneck pace, with Scola scoring the first points of the game and Mantas Kalnietis quickly answering with a three-pointer.

Carlos Delfino made a couple of buckets in the lane for Argentina, only for Kalnietis to reply with a pair of free-throws and a shot in the lane.

After another Delfino basket, Lithuania took the lead for good.

Martynas Pocius and Simas Jasaitis buried three-balls to trigger a 12-2 run for a 21-12 advantage.

Hernan Jasen poured in five straight points to close the gap to 21-17 for Argentina, but Tomas Delininkaitis buried Lithuania's fourth shot from the arc in the quarter that started an 8-1 run.

The three-balls continued to fall for Kemzura's team in the second quarter, too, with one from Jasaitis taking the advantage to 35-20.

The Lithuania fans beat their drums in the Sinan Erdem Dome and cheered wildly.

Argentina had no answers.

Six different Lithuanians struck from the arc in the first half and when they left the floor at the intermission, the advantage was 50-30.

Any hopes of an Argentina comeback died at the beginning of the third quarter when Lithuania reeled off the first six points, including a three-ball from Kalnietis.

When the game was over, Lithuania had connected on 12 of 24 from long range and won, 104-85.

The beating had been so sound, so convincing, that Argentina coach Sergio Hernandez only expressed admiration for Lithuania when he spoke after the game.

"Some games have more analysis, a lot more to say, but this game tonight, there was only one team in the court, and that was Lithuania," he said.

"Lithuania killed Argentina in defense, they ran the floor very well, they shot with a big percentage in the first half. I think they made their first eight or something like that, eight-of-10 three-point shots, and we could not stop them any time."

The game showed that Lithuania had undergone a complete transformation from the year before.

In 2009, they had stumbled and bumbled their way to just one victory in six games and fallen short of the Quarter-Finals at the EuroBasket.

The effort in Poland had underlined the fact that there are no sure-things when it comes to international basketball.

The squad's reaction in 2010 demonstrated that Lithuania's national team program has the power of recovery.

Even with numerous players hurt or unable to play in the Lithuania team in 2010, those who did show up battled like warriors and got to the podium after defeating Serbia in the Third-Place Game.

Kemzura, speaking after the win over Argentina, tried to explain the mindset of Lithuania in 2010.

"We are a small nation," he said, "and what is our phenomenon probably?

"To find some resources, and when it's tough to come together, and never give up.

"I like to compare the basketball game with a life, with a country's life, with a people's life, and our country got a lot of, how to say, downs and tough moments.

"But we survive. We survive.

"You can, you know, you can beat us, you can win, but you cannot destroy us. And this is amazing."

FIBA