Basketball: Germany topples Serbia in World Cup final

Germany bested Serbia 83:77 on Sunday in the Philippines to seal the FIBA Basketball World Cup title. 

It's Germany's first win in the competition, with their best past performance a semifinal defeat in 2002. 

The match was on a knife's edge throughout the first half and the two teams went back to the locker rooms on 47 points apiece.

But Germany put together a strong run after the break and opened up a 12-point lead going into the final quarter. Although Serbia rallied in the final period, Germany was able to cling to its advantage.

Captain Dennis Schröder stars as scorer

Veteran point guard and captain Dennis Schröder took on a leading role for Germany in the crucial match in Manila, albeit more as a scorer than a creator. Schröder dropped 28 points — more than any of his teammates, including versatile offensive threat Franz Wagner, who netted 19 — but laid on just two assists.

Big man Johannes Voigtmann, who plies his trade in Italy with Olimpia Milano, led Germany in rebounds with eight, also blocking a shot and picking up 12 points on efficient shooting at the other end.

Schröder said it had been a "long ride" since his Germany debut nine years ago, but that the national team was currently in a good place. 

"We're enjoying every single moment, every single day, every single practice, every single game," he said. "We embrace it, we compete on the highest level, and that's the reason why we did what we did. We wrote history." 

He also appealed for national team games to get more media attention in Germany, noting that only the final had been broadcast live on a major TV channel.

Schröder was named the tournament MVP (most valuable player) in the aftermath of the win, picking up an accolade that only Dirk Nowitzki had won in a German jersey before.

Herbert and Schröder's happy ending after trying tournament

Coach Gordon Herbert had locked horns with Schröder earlier in the competition, shouting at his captain to sit on the bench as Schröder started arguing with him during a comfortable win against Slovenia, and then coming to his defense after Schröder had a very poor game in the quarterfinals.

However, he was full of praise for the 29-year-old's impressive performances when it mattered most, late in the tournament.

"We would not be here without him and he would not be here without the team," Herbert said of Schröder after the win on Sunday. "I can't say enough about Dennis Schröder and what he's meant for German basektball. I think Dennis would tell you first that this is a team thing." 

Both sides defended stoutly throughout in a comparatively low-scoring game, putting their bodies on the line in search of the gold medal.

"World champions!!! Unbelievable! What a team," said Nowtizki, Germany's best-known and now retired basketball star, after the final buzzer, as Herbert's squad secured a title that had evaded Nowitzki and his contemporaries.

Bogdanovic on fire in first half, ice cold in second

As in their semifinal win against Canada, Bogdan Bogdanovic was on fire early for Serbia, dropping 17 points just in the first half and making three of his first four shots from three-point range. However, the Atlanta Hawks veteran was unable to add to his tally after the break. NBA youngster Nikola Jovic also had a quiet game, notching just nine points and eight rebounds. 

"They deserved this win," Serbia head coach Svetislav Pesic, a former German national team coach, said after the defeat. "They played 40 minutes at a high level, with continuity, very phsyical." 

Serbia went to the competition in Asia without their most famous player, recently-crowned NBA champion Nikola Jokic. Jokic said he was physically and mentally fatigued after his championship run with the Denver Nuggets and wanted to focus on preparing for the NBA season, which begins on October 24.

Germany, meanwhile, shocked the favorites the US in the semifinal, winning by just two points to make the final.

In Sunday's bronze medal game, Canada piled on the misery for the US, winning 127:118 and sending the world's most successful basketball nation home without a medal. 

Scholz, Steinmeier extend congratulations

Germany's chancellor and president were both quick to join the celebrations on Sunday. 

Chancellor Olaf Scholz followed the game via live ticker on his government plane during his return from the G20 summit in Delhi. The connection on board was too patchy for him to watch the action. 

"What a spectacular historic performance," Scholz said. "My congratulations go to Coach Gordie Herbert and the whole team ... I cannot wait to welcome the squad and the coaching staff in the chancellery at the very next possible opportunity."

Most of Germany's top politicians, who tend to do something of a disappearing act on Sundays and weekends, raced to offer similar well-wishes. 

"That was an unbelievable performance, we are all incredibly proud of you!" said President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, while Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said: "What a mega game. Fantastic."

Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah