Dvoznak

Ako Makedonija dobije Latviju, Srbima ovdje 'treba' poraz!!!

Crna Gora nema šanse za prolaz u drugi krug, a Srbiji meč može biti važan s aspekta prenošenja bodova. No prenijet će maksimalna 4 samo ako Makedonija ispadne, a to se događa pobjedom Crne Gore

FIBA Europe / Elio Castoria

Puno je još kombinacija u ovoj skupini, ali jedna stvar je sigurna, Litva i Srbija su u drugom krugu, Crna Gora više nema izgleda.

Srbija je dobila Latviju 9 razlike, nakon što je imala 13 na kraju prve, pa Latvija došla na -1 krajem treće. Nenad Krstić je bio nezadrživ čovjek sa 23 poena, prevaga koju su istaknuli i Srbi i Latvijci. Kada god je trebalo, Ivković se mogao okrenuti svom kapetanu.

- Nisam trenirao takvog igrača, možda nikad - govorio je legendarni Ivković na konferenciji za medije.

FIBA Europe / Elio Castoria

- Ne volim rana vodstva i veliku razliku. Pojavila se potom neka dječja sebičnost kod igrača, dali smo u drugoj četvrtini samo 10 poena. Imali smo i dosta muke, Marković i Nedović se žale na ozljede, tijekom meča se ozlijedio i Bogdanović, igrao je dok mu je noga bila topla, vidjet ćemo sutra.

Bogdanović je stavio jednu strašno važno tricu na kraju treće dionice, ali u četvrtoj je opet Krstić bio nezadrživ tako da prave drame u završnici nije bilo. Mali Ivkovićevi faktori iznenađenja, s ozbirom na sustav i stil igre Latvije, bili su Kalinić, iznenađujuće u početnoj petorci, za 29 minuta 11 skokova, te Nemanja Krstić koji je zabio 4 poena u 3 minute na parketu. Uz Krstićevih 25, samo Katić i Nemanja Bjelica preko 10 (oba 11).

Srbija je od Crne Gore dva puta izgubila u kvalifikacijama za ovo EP. Na parketu beogradske Arene tricom Nikole Ivanovića preko cijelog terena. Danas je u situaciji da igra zadnji meč dana, u kojem će im više odgovarati poraz nego pobjeda.

Duda je sinoć govorio o ozljedama, 'na granici smo funkcionalnosti', posebno isticao 34 minute Krstića, a u pravilu je kapetanu uvijek davao manje minuta u drugim susretima tijekom pripremama. Danas je neka slična situacija. I ne treba iznenaditi ako opet to uradi.

- Previše smo primili laganih koševa i morao sam držati Krstića 34 minuta, morali smo dobiti ovaj meč.

Bogdan Bojanović je ovako najavio meč sa Crnom Gorom:

- Nećemo ništa kalkulirati, idemo na pobjedu i protiv Crne Gore, to nam znači zbog forme. Trebamo ući motivirano, kao i u ovaj meč.

Ivković je dodao:

- Moramo prvo osposobiti tim, da imamo sposobnih jedno 9 igrača, a nisam siguran hoćemo li to imati.

Srbiji je meč puno važniji nego Crnogorcima, ali da izgube, ne da dobiju. Stoga, slušajući Ivkovića i poznavajući momčad s kojom raspolaže, on neće namjerno izgubiti, naravno. Ali ne treba iznenaditi ako bude minimalno koristio Krstića (više Katića i Gagića), Markovića i Nedovića (više Micića, beka Krstića), te tako odmorio glavne igrače za drugu fazu.

Crna Gora s druge strane igra za čast, njima nakon sinoćnjeg poraza od Litve utakmica ne znači ništa. A Litvu su držali u strahu do kraja. Tyrese Rice je tricom iz teške situacije donio produžetak 10 sekundi prije kraja utakmice, a u produžetku su Litavci sve živo pogađali, dok su Dubljević, Milko Bjelica i Suad Šehović promašili bitne šutove za tri poena, Litva je dobila dodatnih 5 minuta 14:7 i otišla u drugi krug, srušivši potpuno sve crnogorske iluzije.

- Što se tiče utakmice protiv Srbije, ona nema rezultatski značaj. Njima je u pitanju prenošenje bodova i nije isto s koje pozicije će to uraditi. Odmah je u startu bilo jasno da su Litva i Srbija kvalitetnije od ostalih u skupini, mi ostali imamo kvalitetu da se nosimo između sebe, ali i s jačim. Žao mi je što utakmica nema rezultatski značaj s obje strane, što bi dovelo do većeg intenziteta. Mi ćemo pokušati dati sve od sebe, da igramo u zadnjem meču na Eurobasket visokokvalitetno - izjavio je trener Crne Gore Luka Pavićević.

- Srbiju je teško napasti jer igraju agresivnu, energičnu, čvrstu obranu, potom iz te obrane istrčavaju izuzetno brzo, talentiran kontranapad, taj prvi udar je možda uz slovenski, najjači na prvenstvu. Tu bi mogli imati problema braniti. Zatim je unutrašnja igra s Krstićem i Katićem jaka i imat ćemo problema tome se suprostaviti, kao što su imali i svi ostali.

Ukoliko Srbija nastupi s manje minuta Markovića i Nedovića, kao što se realno očekuje, onda će Rice imati puno prostora napadati mladog Micića. Ono što će Pavićević trebati puno bolje nego je imao jučer, jest šut za tri, tek 6/29, Suad Šehović je imao 0/8.

Both teams struggling with injuries

Unlike the home team, the Wolves are not particularly eager to reduce the number of their absent players, as it's currently in their interest to lose, in order to get the biggest possible chances in the upcoming draft lottery

Although not immune to injuries plaguing their roster, the Houston Rockets are currently ranked third in the Western, only a victory and a half away from the second ranked Grizzlies, whom they're facing off for the division title. Kevin McHale's team returned to their Toyota Center after a mini-tour they opened on Monday with a relatively easy victory in Indianapolis, and closed two nights later by overcoming a tough challenge and winning 95-93 in New Orleans.

The Pelicans proved to be a much tougher opponent than the Pacers. They charged off to a 17 point lead very early (40-23), but the Rockets slowly caught up as the game drew on. They took a 78-67 lead in the third period, and although the home team were very close in the finish, the Rockets reached their fifth win in last six games.

- It took us a while to pull ourselves together and start attacking them. We got a bit more aggressive on defense, which made things easier on the other end as well- commented coach Kevin McHale.

After totaling 44 points (10/21) two nights before, James Harden scored 25 (9/20) against the Pelicans, along with six rebounds and nine assists. Trevor Ariza was also in the mood with 22 points (9/13), as was Donatas Motijeunas with 21 (10/16), but the biggest news in the Pelicans game for the Rockets was the return of Dwight Howard, who missed the previous 26 games due to a knee injury.

- We made a big comeback. One of the things I kept saying to the guys was to stop playing with the match. Our mission is to win the title, and we have to wake up and play the best we can. I felt pretty well, happy to be playing again. The main thing is to help on defense, the rest will come- said Howard, who scored 4 points (2/3) and seven rebounds in less than 17 minutes he spent on court.

It seems that will be his time on the court for the present, so that the Rockets avoid him getting injured again in the key period of the season, but he is not the only one whose health coach McHale has to worry about. Terrence Jones and Patrick Beverly will have to sit out a few more games, while Motijeunas is in question for tonight due to back issues.

Luckily for the Rockets, the team arriving to face them is trying really hard to win the 'Tank war'. The Minnesota Timberwolves currently have the second worst score in the league, and the fact they sent half their roster to the injury list proves they're doing all they can to 'beat' the Knicks for the bottom spot. Coach Flip Saunders used a single digit number of players for his last few games, one of which was Sean Kilpatrick, who ended up in the roster only because he was literally the closest to New York when they needed a player to even be able to play against the Knicks. The Wolves played with eight players on Wednesday, and still managed to drag the pathetic Lakers to overtime, where they lost 101-99.

- It's a good thing that we're young and don't get tired too much- said Andrew Wiggins, who played more than 48 minutes for the second game in a row, scoring 27 points (8/16) against the Lakers.

Although his hamstring injury allegedly healed up, Kevin Martin stayed benched in that game, which is a clear indicator of the Wolves management's desire to win. It remains to be seen if Martin will play tonight, most likely not, and nor will Ricky Rubio, who missed the last four games due to an alleged ankle injury.

The Wolves lost all three duels against the Rockets this season, and considering the state of their roster it's hard to believe they can do something tonight.