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Manila, September 4, 2023 – Can the impossible enterprise be transformed into a possible one? At the Mall of Asia in Manila, theItalbasket take on the super favorites to win the World Cup: the United States. After the three consecutive affirmations that made it possible to obtain the first one qualification for the quarter-finals of a world championship competition for 25 years now, our national team faces the stars and stripes selection, which so far has only lost the last match with the Lithuania. Defeat that relegated her to second place in her group and meant crossing with the guys from Gianmarco Pozzecco. It is inevitable that the spotlights are also and perhaps above all focused on Paolo Banchero, which in the summer chose to accept the call from the USA, preferring it to that of Italy.

Towards Italy-United States: stronger Azzurri without Banchero?

Strengths of the US

The United States of this World Cup are a group of excellent players ready to serve the system Steve Kerr. The American team is first for points scored (101.4. unique in triple figures together with Serbia, 100.4) and is queen in the classification of blocks (5.8) and steals (10.8) confirming a physicality that is difficult to match. Minutes and responsibilities are decidedly distributed: no one remains on the pitch for more than 23.7 minutes Anthony Edwardsno one plays less than 7′ of Walker Kessler, the only one under 10′. The most reliable offensive reference during the World Cup is Edwards, a Minnesota guard who averages 20.2 points with 54% from 2 and 35% from 3. In double figures for points, Kerr also welcomes the presence of Brunson (10.2 ), Reaves (10.8), Banchero (10.2), with Bridges (9.8) and Jackson Jr (9.2) close behind.

Petrucci’s words

“Those who know sport well know what it means and how complicated it is to emerge in today’s basketball – says the president of Fip, Giovanni Petrucci -. Today we enjoy the satisfaction of being among the top eight in the world, something that, given the high level of this tournament, many other great teams have not managed. USA are favorites and are a behemoth in our sport but we want to win and try to go as far as possible. Our national team is made up of 12 guys who manage to make themselves loved by giving everything on the pitch and always playing with heart and intelligence, with a charismatic guide like Gianmarco Pozzecco. Nothing is taken for granted. Then I take the opportunity to congratulate coach Luca Banchi for the beautiful journey he is making with his Latvia”

Thus the Poz

“We deserve this game – said Pozzecco -. The boys deserve this stage because since day one they have been sweating to be here. We don’t have the forecast on our side but it’s always like this with the USA. With all. We will exploit our best features, namely the ability to move on and off the court as a family, helping each other as we have done so far and the basketball intelligence of our players. Aware of having done the best so far, finishing first in the second phase. Impossible to make comparisons with other matches of the past against the USA. It’s a new chapter and we can’t wait to write it.”

Previous

The precedents in official competitions speak for themselves: 14 meetings and only 2 victories between the World Cup and the Olympic Games from 1960 to 2006. Two wins and six losses if only the World Cup is taken into consideration. Without fear of contradiction and given the palmares of the Americans, it can be calmly stated that there are no national teams in the world with better numbers in comparison. Nonetheless, not all memories of this crossing are bleak. On the contrary. There is the wonderful Cologne nightwhen in a friendly match in preparation for the Athens Games, Italy surprised everyone by winning 95-78 with 28 points James Galanda and 25 by Basile. He was on the bench Charly Recalcati and the current coach Pozzecco on the field (for him 11 points in 23 minutes with 3 rebounds and 8 assists).

On the opposite side, coached by Larry Brown, giants like LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade e Allen Iverson among others. Then there are the two world victories: that of 1970 in the second phase of the championship tournament in Ljubljana (66-64, 16 points from Renzo Bariviera and 14 from Massimo Masini) and above all that of 1978 at the Araneta in Manila right in the Philippines. An 81-80 also propitiated by Fabrizio Della Fiori’s 20 points and Lorenzo Carraro’s 18. “They are indelible memories – commented Recalcati -. In Germany the focus was entirely on the NBA players and we were really little considered. As the match progressed, things changed and slowly even the Italian fans began to gain confidence. We also played a very good game in Japan, but Carmelo Anthony was the killjoy.”

Timetable and where to see the challenge

The match between Italy and the United States is scheduled Tuesday 5th September, with the tap-off set at 2.40 pm (Italian time). Broadcasting the race that offers a place in the semifinals will be Rai 2, Sky Sport Summer, Now e Dazn.

Read also: Egonu not called up to the national team for the Olympic qualifiers: total break with Mazzanti

2023-09-04 18:10:51
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