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Eurobasket 2005

With a team full of Euroleague and ULEB Cup players from top to bottom, Greece seized the gold medal at EuroBasket 2005 with a no-doubt-about-it 78-62 victory over Germany before 19,000 fans in Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro on a Sunday, September 25 night.

Fans who took 10-hour bus rides to get there turned Belgrade Arena into a home court for the Greeks, who won their only previous continental title back home in Athens in 1987. CSKA Moscow guard Theodoros Papaloukas was masterful in leading Greece with 22 points, 6 assists and 3 steals, but he had lots of help. Nikos Zisis of Benetton added 13 points. Michalis Kakiouzis of Winterthur FC Barcelona shot Greece ahead in the first half and finished with 11 points. Dimitris Diamantidis of Panathinaikos, whose buzzer-beater saved Greece in the semifinals, set the tone with first-half steals of the kind that made him the Euroleague's first Best Defender Trophy winner last season. German superstar Dirk Nowitzki was named MVP after finishing with 23 points and leaving to a loud ovation with 3 minutes left in the game. Along with Nowitzki, Papaloukas, Diamantidis, Boris Diaw of France and Juan Carlos Navarro of Spain made the all-tournament team. "You always dream of gold, but you don't ever say it," Papaloukas said after. "Now, we have it here, around our necks." Earlier, France ran away with the bronze medal by beating Spain 98-68 in the third-place game this afternoon. It was France's fifth medal ever, all bronze except one silver, but its first of any kind in the tournament since 1959. But in the end, the night, the tournament and the crown belonged to one team only, and that was none other than Greece!

Contents

Tournament Games

Title Game, 25 September

Third place game, 25 September

  • France - Spain 98-68

24 September, Semifinals

  • Greece - France 67-66
  • Germany - Spain 74-73

22-23 September, Quarterfinals

  • Russia - Greece 61-66
  • Lithuania - France 47-63
  • Slovenia - Germany 62-76
  • Spain - Croatia 101-85

20 September, Eighthfinals

  • Germany - Turkey 66-57
  • Croatia - Italy 74-66
  • Greece - Israel 67-61
  • Serbia & Montenegro - France 71-74
Group A
Team Games Win Lost P+ P- P Dif
1 Russia 3 2 1 223 186 +37
2 Germany 3 2 1 217 192 +25
3 Italy 3 2 1 244 231 +13
4 Ukraine 3 0 3 194 269 -75
Group B
Team Games Win Lost P+ P- P Dif
1 Lithuania 3 3 0 264 221 +43
2 Croatia 3 2 1 235 236 -1
3 Turkey 3 1 2 236 256 -20
4 Bulgaria 3 0 3 252 274 -22
Group C
Team Games Win Lost P+ P- P Dif
1 Slovenia 3 3 0 210 179 +31
2 Greece 3 2 1 187 168 +19
3 France 3 1 2 187 194 -7
4 Bosnia & Herzegovina 3 0 3 177 220 -43
Group D
Team Games Win Lost P+ P- P Dif
1 Spain 3 2 1 280 264 +16
2 Serbia & Montenegro 3 2 1 245 233 +12
3 Israel 3 2 1 236 235 +1
4 Latvia 3 0 3 241 270 -29
18 September, Competition date 3
Group A
Russia 50-51 Germany
Italy 99-62 Ukraine
Group B
Croatia 80-67 Turkey
Lithuania 92-79

Bulgaria

Group C
Slovenia 68-58 France
Greece 67-50 Bosnia & Herzegovina
Group D
Latvia 67-82 Serbia & Montenegro
Spain 77-85 Israel
17 September, Competition date 2
Group A
Italy 61-87 Russia
Ukraine 58-84 Germany
Group B
Lithuania 85-67 Croatia
Bulgaria 89-94

Turkey

Group C
Greece 56-68 Slovenia
Bosnia & Herzegovina 62-79 France
Group D
Spain 114-109 Latvia
Israel 77-93 Serbia & Montenegro
16 September, Competition date 1
Group A
Russia 86-74 Ukraine
Germany 82-84 Italy
Group B
Croatia 88-84 Bulgaria
Turkey 75-87

Lithuania

Group C
Slovenia 74-65 Bosnia & Herzegovina
France 50-64 Greece
Group D
Latvia 65-74 Israel
Serbia & Montenegro 70-89 Spain