Serbia’s head coach Svetislav Pesic spoke ahead of the semifinal match against Canada at the FIBA World Cup.
Pesic used carefully chosen words to discuss their upcoming opponent, who had previously defeated Slovenia and secured Serbia’s spot in the Olympic Games.
“We know that Canada is a fantastic team that plays small-ball basketball. They start with two big players, but after that, it’s all about ‘small-ball’ with four perimeter players and one interior player. They do it fantastically. It’s NBA-style basketball. Nothing new there, but what’s interesting is how we will organize ourselves, how we’ll distribute roles, who will guard whom… Most importantly, we need to stop their transition offense, where they excel. They are all excellent individual players, with impressive statistics in their NBA clubs, both offensively and defensively,” Svetislav Pesic noted.
A true NBA team, but different in one aspect.
“Canada has perhaps shown the best defense of all teams or is among the best, which is why they are here. Unlike some teams with individual quality, they focus on defense. This makes it even more challenging to prepare for the game. Our primary focus should be to give our all to take away what characterizes them the most: their transition offense and one-on-one play. They are individually strong, athletically capable, and control the ball very well. This will require a lot of effort from us on the defensive end, but this is a semifinal,” he concluded.
Pesic about adjustments
According to the seasoned strategist, there is no better team than Canada.
“We’re playing, in my opinion, the best team in the championship. Germany is the only team entering the semifinals undefeated, but they’ve shown what we all expected. Canada, on the other hand, is the complete package when we look at defense and their style of play.
They have a European coach, and his influence is clearly visible. They play differently than the American team, adapting more to FIBA rules. Better than the Americans.”
Fortunately, there are no health problems.
“We’re doing well, we’ve had a little mental and physical recovery, we had some rest, except for morning fitness. There are always a few injuries, but we’re all ready and in good spirits. Tension is useful, pressure is not good. If there is tension in the hands, legs, and head, it increases focus on tasks and the game. I’m in good shape,” Pesic emphasized.
The match between Serbia and Canada is scheduled for Friday.