FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019

[efialtis]

Team B, C or even D will be good enough for USA to lift the trophy. Believe me. The tournament has not started yet.
Bump this post in a few weeks time.

Hey, maybe you want to make a side bet? I'm saying that USA won't win World Cup. Just $10 or $20. Reply if you agree

USA team is getting bashed incredibly hard, like "they do not even have third team all-nba on their roster" how many teams have that anyway? Serbia has maybe one? Greece has one?

USA has 12 NBA players on their roster, which other team has that much of a stacked team, sure the other teams have better players on their roster for ONE position but all other positions they are much more worse, for example Greece has Giannis and that is great and that is the best SF in the whole cup but are you really sure Greece has any matchup on pg-sg-pf-c positions? I doubt so. Sure, Serbia has Jokic on their roster but do they have matchup in pg-sg-sf-pf positions? Of course not. USA is still the best roster in this cup by a big margin, its not even close, they have the advantage on 4-5 positions on every single second of their play time.

USA is still favorites, but as we see, they are not so good as before. In past USA usually won all games by 20-30 points without even playing seriously. Now they lost first time in 13 years, had difficult games against Spain, Australia, so, no surprise that they are bashed.
Greece have not only Giannis, but also Calathes, Sloukas, who are one of the best players in their position in Europe. Serbia also isn't just about Jokic - they have Bogdanovic, Bjelica, solid backup C Marjanovic. They have good players in other positions too.
Nobody aren't even talking about teams like France, Spain, Lithuania - they also have a lot of talent.

I am with you man - by now I am quite confident the USA are NOT going to win the WC this time! =)

By the way - Greece didnt impress today but in the end, just an exhibition vs dominican republic and they played extremely "hard" - we were afraid of injuries, lol.

[bisdak40]

I am with you man - by now I am quite confident the USA are NOT going to win the WC this time! =)

I looked at the line odds on bookies to see if Team USA's odds increase when they lost that game against Australia but still it is 1.45 for them to win the title. People still believe on them to win though they are vulnerable and with that loss they may have waken a giant.

[efialtis]

I am with you man - by now I am quite confident the USA are NOT going to win the WC this time! =)

I looked at the line odds on bookies to see if Team USA's odds increase when they lost that game against Australia but still it is 1.45 for them to win the title. People still believe on them to win though they are vulnerable and with that loss they may have waken a giant.

If you watch them play you will notice they are NOT a giant... Well, we will see, they still are the favorites but betting on them just makes no sense.

[Natalim]

I am with you man - by now I am quite confident the USA are NOT going to win the WC this time! =)

I looked at the line odds on bookies to see if Team USA's odds increase when they lost that game against Australia but still it is 1.45 for them to win the title. People still believe on them to win though they are vulnerable and with that loss they may have waken a giant.

If you watch them play you will notice they are NOT a giant... Well, we will see, they still are the favorites but betting on them just makes no sense.

Exactly, unless they clearly dominated their opponent and we can say that the odds is a gift.

There are better teams than NBA now that has a good odds, if you are a smart gambler, we would take that undervalued odds as that will give better profit to us. USA has been dominating for many years already that's why a typical sports gambler would always think they win though their roster now is no more extraordinary compared to their previous rosters.

[bryant.coleman]

If everything goes as expected, US and Serbia may not meet each other before the finals (that is, if there are no upsets). However, after the win by Australia against the United States, I am seriously considering all the permutations and combinations. US is no longer 100% sure of winning this tournament, thanks to their NBA superstars staying at home.  

I don't expect any upset until the QF stage and most probably USA will be facing France during the quarterfinals. The first real chance of upset would come during the semi-finals, when US will probably take on Spain. IMO, they are a team capable of upsetting the United States, no matter how small their chances are. Imagine US crashing out in the semis and Spain fighting against Serbia for the title!!

[stadus]

Imagine US crashing out in the semis and Spain fighting against Serbia for the title!!

This could also be possible as Spain was once a champion IIRC, and I saw this highlights in the FIBA finals in 2018 between the USA and the Spain.
Spain vs USA - Gold Medal Match | Beijing 2008 | Throwback Thursday

Look at how they played, the best players in the USA are playing with them and they were able to compete and keep this a close game til the end.
Kobe, Lebron and Wade are all playing with the USA this time, now we don't have them or a caliber players like them.

[slocker]

With only few days until WC starts seem that we have 3-4 teams that will be in the semis. Seems we are all picking the same team USA Serbia Spain and possible France or Lithuania.
USA team showed that lost in previous game didnt effect on them Serbia is the only team so far in prep period that didnt lose a game.

[efialtis]

Preparation Final Game between Venezuela and Greece about to start in 1.5 hours - here is the stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f895UIZi9e8

[efialtis]

Its official - Kostas Slokas will be in China - great news for the Greek team!!! We are another caliber with Calathes + Sloukas, Nick all alone would have been difficult.

Other than that, the Greek Freak is not going to play in todays match vs Venezuela.

[bisdak40]

With only few days until WC starts seem that we have 3-4 teams that will be in the semis. Seems we are all picking the same team USA Serbia Spain and possible France or Lithuania.
USA team showed that lost in previous game didnt effect on them Serbia is the only team so far in prep period that didnt lose a game.

It would be France vs Greece in the quaterfinals and Greece will won that game , so they will complete the semi-finalist together with Spain, US and Serbia for this year's FIBA World Cup. Greece will be there in the semis, they are just so pumped up and i think @efialtis will agree with me .

[jostorres]

That was literally 11 years ago, that was one of the best seasons Spain had because they had all the great generation with them, their roster is nowhere near that level anymore so I do not think they can compete at that level again. Don't get me wrong I am not saying USA will beat them, its basketball and nothing is written in stone here but I am saying even if USA can't beat them, some other team will.

Serbia has the biggest claim here, between Jokic and Boban and Bogdanovic, they look like a very solid team. USA however is still by far the best team in the cup because no other team has brought as many NBA players as USA and that makes them a threat. USA hasn't lost an official game in over a decade, there is a reason for that. The only loss in the past 13-15 years is one game against Australia that was an exhibition and people suddenly started to say USA may lose, they most probably won't.

[Naida_BR]

I am with you man - by now I am quite confident the USA are NOT going to win the WC this time! =)

I looked at the line odds on bookies to see if Team USA's odds increase when they lost that game against Australia but still it is 1.45 for them to win the title. People still believe on them to win though they are vulnerable and with that loss they may have waken a giant.

I don't think that 1.45 is a value bet.
There will be knock out games and everything is possible in one game.
I would bet for Serbia and Spain to win the title, as they have better betting odds that worth my money.

[LTU_btc]

Most teams had played their final preparation games today and announced their 12 players who will play in World Cup. Results:
Greece 74:51 Venezuela, Serbia 61:56 France, Lithuania 82:79 Czech Republic, Spain 84:76 Argentina.From what I saw some teams still aren't playing their best game, they arrived to China recently and they have to adapt to new timezone. And it would be stupid to open all cards just few days before World Cup.
Some interesting numbers. Here is 15 players in Wolrd Cup with biggest contracts, 11 of 15 players are from Europe. It's a bit strange that Vucevic have bigger contract than Giannis and Jokic. But probably next Giannis contract will become one of the biggest in NBA.

Yearly wage. Numbers in USD. Source: Basketnews.lt

[spadormie]

Some interesting numbers. Here is 15 players in Wolrd Cup with biggest contracts, 11 of 15 players are from Europe. It's a bit strange that Vucevic have bigger contract than Giannis and Jokic. But probably next Giannis contract will become one of the biggest in NBA.

The reason why this is occuring is because of their age. Without a doubt, Giannis is the better player within these 3 and Jokic would be the second guy on the list. The problem is, Giannis is just starting to be a superstar but Vucevic basing on his age, he's proven himself in the league. Vucevic is 28 years old and Jokic and Giannis is 24 years of age. Probably their next contract would be a massive contract for them to stay on their team. They are both superstars in the making.

[mirakal]

To all the Gilas fans out there, what do you think about the upcoming first game between Philippines and Italy.

This are the line offered in my sportsbook..

Philippines to win 13 , Italy to win 1.03.
Philippines +17.5 , Italy -17.5..

What do you think about the Philippines ML? This is so tempting for me....

[Distinctin]

Philippines +17.5 , Italy -17.5..

Just to be safe, take the plus points, Italy is a good team and they have 2 NBA players playing for them.
Look at the roster. http://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2019/team/Italy#|tab=roster

Philippines has only one NBA caliber players which is their center but the height will kill the Philippines since Italy as an average of 6'7" while Philippines is only 6'4". http://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2019/team/Philippines#|tab=roster

[efialtis]

Most teams had played their final preparation games today and announced their 12 players who will play in World Cup. Results:
Greece 74:51 Venezuela, Serbia 61:56 France, Lithuania 82:79 Czech Republic, Spain 84:76 Argentina.From what I saw some teams still aren't playing their best game, they arrived to China recently and they have to adapt to new timezone. And it would be stupid to open all cards just few days before World Cup.
Some interesting numbers. Here is 15 players in Wolrd Cup with biggest contracts, 11 of 15 players are from Europe. It's a bit strange that Vucevic have bigger contract than Giannis and Jokic. But probably next Giannis contract will become one of the biggest in NBA.

Yearly wage. Numbers in USD. Source: Basketnews.lt

Indeed, the "official" games will be a different story - cant wait! Regarding Giannis´s contract: His next one will be astronomic and he is already the biggest earning Greek athlete ever!

[bisdak40]

To all the Gilas fans out there, what do you think about the upcoming first game between Philippines and Italy.

This are the line offered in my sportsbook..

Philippines to win 13 , Italy to win 1.03.
Philippines +17.5 , Italy -17.5..

What do you think about the Philippines ML? This is so tempting for me....

I have to agree with @Distinctin here, we better take the +17.5 handicap as their roster has big names like Marco Belinelli and Danilo Gallinari. Too risky to bet for ML but would bet a small amount just for fun in case an upset happens and the Gilas squad will treat this game like a final since this would bring them to the second round if they win.

[joshy23]

To all the Gilas fans out there, what do you think about the upcoming first game between Philippines and Italy.

This are the line offered in my sportsbook..

Philippines to win 13 , Italy to win 1.03.
Philippines +17.5 , Italy -17.5..

What do you think about the Philippines ML? This is so tempting for me....

ML is a trick while handicap can give some chance winning if PH able to get close against this giants though it's still a big challenge to the entire squad, much better to stay safe and watch the game and enjoy instead of betting and be stressed once you fail to pick the right choice, I'll be glad to see PH team to try harder fighting with the guys that left for this team.

[Ranly123]

I am with you man - by now I am quite confident the USA are NOT going to win the WC this time! =)

I looked at the line odds on bookies to see if Team USA's odds increase when they lost that game against Australia but still it is 1.45 for them to win the title. People still believe on them to win though they are vulnerable and with that loss they may have waken a giant.

If you watch them play you will notice they are NOT a giant... Well, we will see, they still are the favorites but betting on them just makes no sense.

Maybe for you it doesn't make sense but for most people, USA is still the team to beat even though NBA superstars withdraw from playing in the FIBA competition.