The Pre-olympic that was left in basketball, the men’s 5×5, has concluded in the four venues in which it has developed during the past week. Victoria, Split, Belgrade and Kaunas they have seen four new qualifiers, the last ones, for the tournament that will take place in Tokyo from July 25. Czech Republic has put the icing on the cake by charging first to Canada and then to Greece to join Germany, Italy and Slovenia, which in turn are grouped together with those previously classified, which are Spain, Iran, Nigeria, France, Australia, Argentina, Japan and the United States.
The Czech Republic got rid of Greece in the final of their round with forcefulness, 97-72. With 20 points from Patrik Auda and a PIR of 31 from Jan Vesely, also with Balvin and Satoransky at a good level, Rick Pitino’s men had no choice. The Greeks are left without Games, which is news in itself, but the real horror came in the semifinals, where Turkey was defeated, with the NBA Osman, Korkmaz and Ilyasova, prominent as Sanli or Sengun and the only low sounded of Shane Larkin, and Canada, who finally brought a team of guarantees with Wiggins, Dort, Barrett, Powell or Alexander-Walker and was left with a span of noses at home.
0-4 of the locals in these tournaments. Lithuania remained in Kaunas, although the defeat against a supreme Slovenia means that the blow was not so strong. Coach Darius Maskoliunas, Saras’ coach and assistant at Barça, has resigned after the defeat. In Split, among others, Brazil fell in the final, a Russia that did not even reach the weekend and Croatia, which was thrown by a Germany of circumstances and despite counting the Balkans with 38 points from Bojan Bogdanovic and with Hezonja and Zizic in their ranks. In Belgrade, a really tough stick for Serbia, Olympic silver in Rio and defeated by Italy with Micic, Marjanovic, Teodosic, Kalinic or Bjelica in their squad even though Nikola Jokic was not there.
There is, therefore, a calendar and organization for Tokyo. Except for the qualifiers, for which a small draw will be held after the group stage, the dates and matches are known. The quarters will be on August 3, the semifinals will go on the 5 and the grand final and the battle for bronze will be played on 7. The matches begin on July 25. In group A will be Iran, France, the United States and the Czech Republic; in B, Australia, Germany, Italy and Nigeria; Luka Doncic’s Slovenia has gone to C, with Argentina, Japan and Spain. The National Team, directed by Sergio Scariolo, will face Japan on J 26 at 2:00 p.m., Argentina on J 29 at 2:00 p.m. and Slovenia, at the close of the group stage, on 1- At 10:20 am. The two best of each classification and the two best third parties will go to the quarters, whose places will be decided by points difference.
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The matches will be held in the Saitama Super Arena, a city of pleasant memory for Spain if we travel to 2006 and the first of the two World Cups won by the National Team. USA, who made a fool of herself on that occasion and comes from doing another in the championship two years ago in China, is the current Olympic champion and will arrive, despite that condition, with a great hunger for victory so as not to be out of tune.