Bogdan Bogdanovic and Serbia won’t push themselves way too ahead despite advancing from the quarterfinal round of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup by eliminating Lithuania – a team who stained the United States’ Group Phase record.
For Bogdanovic, he and his Eagles squad must head back to the drawing board in preparation for the Semis and just dismiss any confidence that can be yielded upon dragging the American slayers out of the contention.
“That’s how the tournament works. You cannot relax,” Bogdanovic said after Serbia’s 87-68 blowout quarterfinal dub over Lietuva on Tuesday.
“We can celebrate this win, but as soon as the night is over, then tomorrow we have to regroup, get ready, watch Canada-Slovenia [quarterfinals], and get ready for the next opponent.”
Upon delivering a crack to the flawless win-loss card of the United States, all eyes were pointing at the Baltik Giants as they exited the Group Phase pool with might – boasting a 5-0 record that topped all Final Round teams besides Germany.
But the world turned upside down on Tuesday as Lithuania suddenly became the first club to head to the exits of the World Cup playoffs upon the barrage made by the Serbians powered by the Atlanta Hawks star’s 21 markers.
As it is, the Lithuanians’ bitter ending to their World Cup dream following the sweet reign over the invincible U.S. is a gentle reminder that pivotal situations can unpredictably change in the blink of an eye.
Bogdanovic and Serbia are about to collide at the Semifinals in either Slovenia or Canada – nations featuring two of the best basketball players in the world: Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“That’s what I learned from previous experiences. Unsuccessful or unsuccessful, it’s the same,” Bogdanovic added. “You just have to be prepared to recover and get ready for another tough game.”
