The four regions of the men's basketball qualifying tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympics have all entered the semi-finals, and the giants from all walks of life have launched the final assault for the only ticket to the last train to Paris in each region. In the high-profile Greek region, because the Slovenian men's basketball team lost to Croatia in the opening game, they had to meet the Greek men's basketball team ranked first in the semi-finals as the second in Group A. Although it was known at the moment when the regional grouping was released, only one of Doncic and Brother Alphabet, the two NBA top five masters, could stand on the stage of the Paris Olympics, but it was still very embarrassing for the two teams to meet in advance in the semifinals. After four quarters of fierce battles, the Greek men's basketball team led by Giannis Antetokounmpo defeated the Slovenian men's basketball team with a score of 96-68, and the whole court was almost one-sided throughout the game.
In this game, Doncic's performance still failed to reach his best, and it can be seen that the fatigue of playing all the way to the NBA Finals last season cannot be alleviated overnight. In the first half, Dongzi Sports played 3 of 7 and 2 of 6 free throws on the free throw line, only scoring 10 points, and after two quarters, the Slovenian team had dug a big hole of 14 points for itself. After the rematch, Doncic hit three yuan outside the three-point line, and it seemed that he was about to get up, but the Greek team, which was better overall, did not panic and kept the point difference transitioning to the last quarter, and directly opened the point difference to 30 points outside the point line and ended the suspense.
Seeing that the general trend has gone, the Slovenian coach is also helpless to admit defeat and Mingjin withdraws, Doncic is very depressed and rests. Counting 5 of 9 in this game, Doncic shot 8-of-30 from beyond the three-point line in three games in this tournament, and the outside shooting rate was only 26.7%, which is very different from the self who single-handedly won the first Olympic ticket in team history for the Slovenian team three years ago and received the MVP trophy from the old Sabonis. If it weren't for the naturalized center Nebo's 8-of-9 and efficient contribution of 17 points and 7 rebounds, I'm afraid the scene would be even more ugly. Although Doncic scored a game-high 21 points, he also had a full 10 turnovers, and the loss is hard to blame.
What's even more murderous is that the Greek team did not show its real full strength at all, the main general Brother Alphabet played less than 21 minutes, and he only shot 6 of 12, contributing 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block, and the plus/minus value was indeed exaggerated +31, and his influence on the game can be seen. Greece's leading scorer was naturalized point guard Thomas Walkpool, who scored 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, plus six rebounds, two assists and two steals. What is more surprising is that Papayannis, the No. 13 pick in 2016 and 2.17 meters tall, was completely inferior in the confrontation with Nebo, shooting 3 of 8 and scoring only 6 points, which is no wonder he can't stand in the NBA.
For Doncic, after experiencing the defeat in the Finals, what he needs most is physical and psychological double rest and relaxation, but he resolutely gritted his teeth and insisted on participating in the national team game, which alone is worthy of recognition. Although he didn't perform well on this trip to the qualifying tournament, Doncic is still young, and he has a chance to prove himself. For Giannis, all he needs to do is be cautious and not upset his qualifying final against Croatia, after all, the Olympics are the stage to showcase his talent.