Basketball World Cup 2023, semifinals on Friday, 08.09.2023
Many are already thinking one round ahead and dreaming of the North American final. But I throw the question into the room, why it could not come instead perhaps just as well to a purely European final?
In my Serbia Canada tip, I think that the Balkan ballers could make this match tighter than the betting companies are currently assuming.
Maybe even a single basket will decide the game in the end.
My successful Canada Slovenia tip was not exactly a three-pointer in the figurative sense, but with 1.78 at least a nice shot from mid-distance that hit the middle of the net.
It was clear to me from the start that the Eastern Europeans would not get far against such a strong team as the Canadian team with Luka Doncic in solo entertainment mode.
In the end, as expected, the North Americans bagged a commanding 100-89 victory that catapulted them straight into the semifinals of this FIBA Basketball World Cup – and where Serbia, not exactly the toughest of the three remaining competitors in the fight for the finals, now awaits.
Canada is as dependent on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as Slovenia is on Luka Doncic. The difference between the two nations, however, is that the Maple Leafs have a few more irons in the fire.
Barrett, in fact, played an equally strong quarterfinal with 24 points as his compatriot Dillon Brooks with 14. In the end, this combined effect meant that the NBA stars were able to prevail without any major problems.
The upcoming duel against Serbia will certainly not be a walk in the park, but it cannot be emphasized enough how heavy the loss of Nikola Jokic weighs in this World Cup.
Even though only a few sports betting apps seem to warn about it odds-wise, I would therefore now personally be cautious to predict a no-frills start-to-finish victory for the Canadians in the semifinals as well.
The Serbs look unimpressive at first glance, but they are a truly unpleasant opponent who can play themselves into a frenzy when things are going well.
For example, they dominated the games against China (105:63), South Sudan (115:83) and the Dominican Republic (112:79) across the board.
Although they haven’t faced any really tough opponents yet, they did manage to beat the USA in the quarter-finals with a clear 87-68 victory over Lithuania.
I am still missing a successful comparison with an absolute top team, but it would not surprise me if the Serbs would be able to cope with such an endurance test right away.
It’s not the number of NBA stars that determines the chances of a medal, but first and foremost the team structure and the individual class of the individual players – even if they are not under contract with a well-known club.
A good example of this is the Latvians, who, if the last-second three-pointer had worked, would now be playing the USA instead of the DBB boys without a single NBA player.
Serbia could become the next team with mostly European-based players to take down an NBA team on Friday. That’s because the Europeans have slight size advantages over Canada and work tremendously well at the board.
I therefore expect a heart-stopping final in which the Balkan ballers could even come out on top by a very narrow margin in the end.
Although they haven’t faced an absolute world class team so far, they convinced me so much that I can imagine a surprise victory against Canada with a two point difference.
Conclusion: It won’t be easy for the Canadians on the board to create the momentum needed to prevail against the Serbians, who defend strongly in the zone.
In my eyes, the underdog is the so-called dark horse of this FIBA World Championship, which was written off by many in the race for gold far too early – this could now take revenge!
Although I will use a handicap bet to cushion the risk somewhat, but here directly a one on the betting slip to curl, would perhaps not be wrong.
My Serbia Canada tip: Win SRB with HC +7.5.
