FIBA World Cup 2006 was played in Japan, and this tournament is considered probably the best in FIBA history.
For the first time since 1978 and the Philippines, FIBA made the decision to move its most prestigious competition to Asia. Japan was chosen as the host, which, as a country in expansion, gladly accepted that role. It will turn out that the best World Cup in history was played in this country.
Unlike the previous two championships, this time the decision was made to expand. Out of the 16 teams so far, eight more national teams got the chance to compete at the biggest competition. The teams were divided into four groups with six teams each. The four best-placed teams advanced to the knockout stage, from where the great battle for the throne began.
Record ratings
The tournament set a new attendance record for the FIBA World Cup as over 75% of available tickets were sold. 225,000 people followed the games in five Japanese arenas: Saitami, Hamamatsu, Sendai, Hiroshima and Sapporo. The entire championship was followed by 3,000 media representatives who guaranteed record coverage through the media, newspapers and television.
FIBA had 150 times more fan traffic during the championship than at the Olympic Games played two years earlier. The competition was watched by over nine million viewers across all platforms. The games were broadcast in more than 150 countries, and television ratings set records in many countries. For the first time, television coverage included all African countries, and fans could also watch matches via FIBA streams.
Dirk Nowitzki’s historic game
Competitiveness and viewership are certainly something that marked this championship the most, but when we talk about the FIBA World Cup 2006, it is impossible not to mention Dirk Nowitzki’s game against Angola. In the last match of the group stage, two teams fought for second place, and the Dallas Mavericks legend scored an incredible 47 points.
The power forward brought win to his team after three overtimes, and the impressive fact is that he did not miss any of his 17 free throws. Also, this is the fifth most efficient game by an individual, while the undisputed first position is held by Jae Hur with 62 points in 1990.
Germany later ended the competition in the quarter-finals against the United States.
LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony led the United States
As always in recent history, the role of main favorite went to the United States. Led by LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, Mike Krzyewski‘s team arrived in Japan with the pressure to win. In addition to them, the popular “Dream Team” had names like Joe Johnson, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard at the tournament.
It was expected that they would easily win a gold medal, and this was supported by a more than dominant performance in the group stage. With all five wins and a basket difference of +115, they showed their authority and secured a place among the top 16.
United States first rival in the round of 16 was Australia, which was sent off home with a routine 40-point win, while an easy win followed in the quarter-finals against Germany.
“Saitama Super Arena” and best game of the tournament
All eyes were on the semi-final game between the United States and Greece. Coach Krzyewski’s team established its tempo and relatively easily reached a 12-point lead. Nevertheless, Greece did not give up and made a comeback thanks from contribution from the bench. In particular, Sofoklis Schortsanitis had an amazing roll. “Baby Shaq” played fantastic in the second quarter and Greece managed to took the lead.
The United States defense did not look like anything that could be called good. Theo Papaloukas also recognized it, who made up for a slightly worse shooting day with 12 assists.
Greece were lucky enough to witness the disastrous shooting percentage of the opponents, considering that United States had only 58% from the free throws, hitting 20 of its 34 attempts. When the scoreboard marked the end, it showed 101:95 in Greece favor.
Pau Gasol’s injury and the throne for Spain
In support of the claim that this is probably the most quality World Cup ever, there is also the second semi-final. Spain and reigning Olympics champion Argentina played against each other. During the entire game, we saw a lot of lead changes.
In the last minute, big problems happened for Spain. The best player, Pau Gasol, broke his foot during a battle in the paint. However, what shocked everyone was the fact that Gasol got up and made two free throws, and only then left the court in pain. Argentina had its chance. Manu Ginobili penetrated into the paint and threw an exit pass to Andres Nocioni, but his three-pointer did not go through and Spain scheduled a game with Greece in the grand final.
In that final, Greece played probably the worst game of the championship. They scored only 47 points, and they got tired after the clash with the United States. Although weakened by not playing Gasol, Spain routinely achieved win (70:47) and lift a big trophy.
MVP & All-Tournament Team
As expected, the MVP award went to Pau Gasol, which was well deserved. Although he was not a factor in the final, he averaged 21 points and nine rebounds during the tournament. His teammate Jorge Garbajosa also got a place next to him in All-Tournament Team.
Interestingly, the “Dream Team” and the favorite to win had only one representative, and the place among the best five was occupied by Carmelo Anthony. Manu Ginobili and Theo Papaloukas completed the team. It should be noted that all members with their national teams reached the semi-finals without a single defeat. The best scorer of the tournament was Yao Ming, who averaged 25.3 points per game.