TUR – Not up for debate – World Championship the toughest competition of all
ISTANBUL (2010 FIBA World Championship) - Just two day into the FIBA World Championship and one thing is crystal clear. The 24-team FIBA World Championship is the hardest, most competitive international event around. The numbers don’t lie. With twice as many national sides as an Olympic Games and some heart-stopping games already that haven't ...
ISTANBUL (2010 FIBA World Championship) - Just two day into the FIBA World Championship and one thing is crystal clear.
The 24-team FIBA World Championship is the hardest, most competitive international event around.
The numbers don’t lie.
With twice as many national sides as an Olympic Games and some heart-stopping games already that haven't been decided until the final seconds, including double overtime in some cases, this year's tournament in Turkey is already on the way to becoming the greatest basketball competition of all time.
Consider the play in Group A so far.
This is not the venue for those who are trying to quit the habit of nail-biting.
Australia, Germany and Argentina are at the head of the queue of teams involving close games.
On opening night, the Aussies were in danger of being upset by Jordan but snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and won by a single point.
Twenty-four hours later and the Australians played much better and had Argentina on the ropes but ended up losing by two when an Adam Gibson three-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out.
Argentina had only scraped a four-point victory over Germany on Saturday, a result that left Dirk Bauermann's young team needing to spring an upset against last year's EuroBasket silver-medal winners Serbia.
That's exactly what they did.
Germany's Jan Jagla, incredibly, had a prayer answered when his off-balance shot from the left corner with the shot-clock about to expire fell through the hoop with a little over a minute to go in the second overtime.
Germany held on for a one-point triumph as their defense prevented Serbia's Milenko Tepic from scoring on a drive in the last seconds.
There have been some blowouts in Istanbul, but compared to the Olympics in China the games overall have been far more competitive.
Fifty percent of the games have been decided by 10 points or less.
The sheer number of games teams must win and against such quality opponents, even against the tournament newcomers Jordan, leaves no doubt that it is much harder to win gold at a World Championship than an Olympic Games.
Maybe the most pleasing aspect of all has been the emergence of basketball's new stars.
Everywhere you look, be it Istanbul, Kayseri, Izmir or Ankara - is a new generation of players that are not just finding their way in the rough and tough world of international basketball.
They are having a dramatic impact.
The players in the USA team like Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose and Rudy Gay - just to name four – are so good that some are saying this team would not only challenge but beat the American side that won the gold medal in Beijing.
The best part of all is that the World Championship has just started.
FIBA