EuroBasket Flashback: Remembering teh continent’s biggest Championship Shocks
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Novi Sad,Serbia & Montenegro – History is often rewritten on the basketball court,adn the FIBA EuroBasket championship has seen its share of stunning upsets. From underdog victories to the fall of dominant powers, here’s a look back at some of the most memorable shocks in the tournament’s history.
France 2005
The 2005 EuroBasket in Serbia and Montenegro witnessed a major surprise early on. The French youngsters stunned Serbia and Montenegro in Novi sad.
Latvia 2001
The 2001 competition mirrored the 2005 format, with first-placed teams advancing directly to the Quarter-Finals and second- and third-placed teams battling in the Play-Off round. Lithuania anticipated a medal run, especially after being drawn against Latvia in the Play-Offs. Though,Latvia delivered a resounding 94-76 victory,eliminating the team that would later win the FIBA EuroBasket in Sweden just two years later. Ainars bagatskis led Latvia with 25 points, securing their first top-eight finish as 1939. Latvia wouldn’t return to the Quarter-Finals until Bagatskis became their coach in 2015.
Germany 1993
Germany’s 1993 championship run was a series of upsets. They eliminated Spain 79-77 in the Quarter-Finals, followed by a 76-73 victory over Greece in the Semi-Finals. The championship game saw a late, game-winning and-one dunk from Christian Welp, securing a 71-70 win over Russia. Prior to 1993, Germany had never finished higher than 5th in EuroBasket. They reached the Quarter-Finals as the fourth seed with a 2-3 record, while Spain, Greece, and Russia all finished the group stage with 4-1 records.
Greece 1987
In 1987, Greece hosted the event as the Soviet Union dominated, entering the championship game with a perfect 7-0 record.Greece narrowly avoided elimination in the Group Stage, reaching the Quarter-Finals only after a crucial 82-69 win over France. As the fourth seed, they upset top-seeded Italy in the Quarter-Finals, then defeated Yugoslavia in the Semis. The ultimate shock came in the Final, where Greece defeated the soviet Union 103-101 in overtime. Nikos Galis scored 40 points,leading greece to gold on home soil. This victory marked the end of Soviet domination, having won 14 EuroBasket golds from 1947 to 1985.
Czechoslovakia 1985
The 1985 Quarter-Finals delivered another surprise.Yugoslavia, led by Drazen petrovic, anticipated a Final matchup with the Soviet Union. Czechoslovakia secured their Quarter-finals berth on the final day of pool play,finishing fourth in their group and considered an underdog against Yugoslavia.Though, they scored 102 points, led by Kamil Brabenec’s 32 points, to win by 11. Czechoslovakia later reached the Final, losing 120-89 to the Soviet Union.
FIBA
