🏀🏀 EUROBASKET 2025 🏀🏀 discussion thread

[AHOYBRAUSE]

Eurobasket is just around the corner (from August 27 to September 14). This thread should be used for discussions about games, players and maybe even bets.

I'm honestly excited for this tournament since it features so many great NBA players this year, I think it's more than ever actually. These are the teams that qualified, all the usual suspects are there and we can expect some exciting games for sure!! This time again we have several hosts and the games will be in Cyprus, Finland, Poland, and Latvia. No clue how Cyprus came into this mix but whatever. 

Pre tournament exhibition games are in full swing already by the way.

[LTU_btc]

Thanks for making this topic. 15 days remaining. Looked at odds where Serbia is clearly favoured and Germany goes 2nd. Interesting. IMO, France is understimated too much. While Greece - Giannis isn't such such big force in FIBA basketball.
As Lithuanian, time already learned me not to have any expectations. It's been 10 years since we got last medals and now probably we're going to end in 1/4 final.
Cyprus is hoing to be weakest Eurobasket host ever.

[condoras]

Thanks for making this topic. 15 days remaining. Looked at odds where Serbia is clearly favoured and Germany goes 2nd. Interesting. IMO, France is understimated too much. While Greece - Giannis isn't such such big force in FIBA basketball.
As Lithuanian, time already learned me not to have any expectations. It's been 10 years since we got last medals and now probably we're going to end in 1/4 final.
Cyprus is hoing to be weakest Eurobasket host ever.

I won't predict from now on which team will lift the trophy or will be among the medals. Better to take it step by step.
At first sight, in group A, Serbia won't have any problem qualifying as first, with most likely Turkey as second. In group B, I see Germany as first, and then probably Finland. Group C seems to be the most difficult of all. However, I will say that Spain will take the first place, and then a battle between Greece, Italy, and Georgia for the second. Finally, in group D, the favorite is France, and Slovenia the second. As for Cyprus, indeed must be the weakest team that we have ever seen in this tournament.

No clue how Cyprus came into this mix but whatever. 

Only FIBA knows...

[AHOYBRAUSE]

Thanks for making this topic. 15 days remaining. Looked at odds where Serbia is clearly favoured and Germany goes 2nd. Interesting. IMO, France is understimated too much. While Greece - Giannis isn't such such big force in FIBA basketball.
As Lithuanian, time already learned me not to have any expectations. It's been 10 years since we got last medals and now probably we're going to end in 1/4 final.
Cyprus is hoing to be weakest Eurobasket host ever.

Yeah I wonder why France isn't more in the conversation at the moment. I mean with the talent they have, as well as recent success (silver at the Olympics) it would be fair to assume they will definitely go fot the medals in this one. I have watched 2 games from Greece in the last days (against Serbia and Israel) and both times they got totally destroyed. They played without Giannis though for whatever reason.

[Upgrade00]

Like the 15 odds for Spain to win outright. They have been dominant and look to have taken the same approach in all of their national sport teams, focus on young and agile players, building a team to dominate the future but are already dominating now. There are lots of top teams, the Serbians will be tough to beat and so will Germany and France

No clue how Cyprus came into this mix but whatever.  

Probably outbidded. They are the only hosting team in the lowest seed pot.

[LTU_btc]

I won't predict from now on which team will lift the trophy or will be among the medals. Better to take it step by step.
At first sight, in group A, Serbia won't have any problem qualifying as first, with most likely Turkey as second. In group B, I see Germany as first, and then probably Finland. Group C seems to be the most difficult of all. However, I will say that Spain will take the first place, and then a battle between Greece, Italy, and Georgia for the second. Finally, in group D, the favorite is France, and Slovenia the second. As for Cyprus, indeed must be the weakest team that we have ever seen in this tournament.

Not going to predict things too. When knockout stages begins, it often goes against the odds. Though, I only don't agree with you that Lithuania will end behind Finland. I think we're going to be 2nd behind Germany.
A and C groups looks very interesting for me, there you can't even tell all 4 teams which are going to reach next round.

Only FIBA knows...

Same like other hosts, they paid several millions to FIBA and got right to have tournament. But IMO, there should be requirement to have at least a bit competetive team to getright to play even if you're host

Like the 15 odds for Spain to win outright. They have been dominant and look to have taken the same approach in all of their national sport teams, focus on young and agile players, building a team to dominate the future but are already dominating now. There are lots of top teams, the Serbians will be tough to beat and so will Germany and France

It's scary to see how Spain dominate in all youtg tournaments in all age groups, but not surprised to see such odds. Change of generation after their golden generation retired isn't that easy for them.

[condoras]

Not going to predict things too. When knockout stages begins, it often goes against the odds. Though, I only don't agree with you that Lithuania will end behind Finland. I think we're going to be 2nd behind Germany.
A and C groups looks very interesting for me, there you can't even tell all 4 teams which are going to reach next round.

I haven't seen any exhibition/ friendly game of any of the teams, so I said it based on how the teams' rosters are and which players they have. Plus, I really like Lauri Markkanen and I will want to see him and Finland pass to the next stage. Beating Germany and getting the 1st place will be more than difficult, getting the 2nd place is more than doable.

Same like other hosts, they paid several millions to FIBA and got right to have tournament. But IMO, there should be requirement to have at least a bit competetive team to getright to play even if you're host

That's the one side of the coin. The other is to give the opportunity to low-caliber teams to participate in such tournaments. Otherwise, they will never be in any. This way, more young people will start getting involved with the sport, as well as people with money.

Like the 15 odds for Spain to win outright. They have been dominant and look to have taken the same approach in all of their national sport teams, focus on young and agile players, building a team to dominate the future but are already dominating now. There are lots of top teams, the Serbians will be tough to beat and so will Germany and France

IMO all the groups have clear favorites but things are unpredictable in such tournaments. Even if Serbia, Spain, and Germany are teams with very good chemistry and experience, the other teams won't drop the matches without a fight. All the teams have great players who can change the course of a game, and we all know that in basketball, anything can happen in seconds. So I'm expecting tough matches between all the teams and the groups. At least, until we see the first matches...

[Upgrade00]

IMO all the groups have clear favorites but things are unpredictable in such tournaments. <snip>

How many teams are qualifying from each group? There are clear favourites but still enough chance for less preferred teams to make it into the knockout rounds.

Bosnia and Herzegovina are the most likely dark horses in the tournament and I fully expect them to qualify from their group alongside Spain.

[AHOYBRAUSE]

IMO all the groups have clear favorites but things are unpredictable in such tournaments. Even if Serbia, Spain, and Germany are teams with very good chemistry and experience, the other teams won't drop the matches without a fight. All the teams have great players who can change the course of a game, and we all know that in basketball, anything can happen in seconds. So I'm expecting tough matches between all the teams and the groups. At least, until we see the first matches...

Can't agree more. While me, as a big Germany supporter, hoping they will go through the group without any problem, I still have my doubts. Lithuania and Finland (because of Lauri Markkanen) can be very dangerous teams and if you lack concentration for just a second they can drop a big run on you real quick. While we have the tools to defeat every team in this tournament, we also have some brain fart moments sometimes that can cost us any game as well. So yeah, every team in the group stage will be tested, no exception.

IMO all the groups have clear favorites but things are unpredictable in such tournaments. <snip>

How many teams are qualifying from each group? There are clear favourites but still enough chance for less preferred teams to make it into the knockout rounds.

Bosnia and Herzegovina are the most likely dark horses in the tournament and I fully expect them to qualify from their group alongside Spain.

The top 4 teams of each group will move to the round of 16 I think. So we will see plenty of games in the group stage and then also in the knockout stage, which is really nice!!

[yenerbatmaz]

I wasn't impressed with Türkiye's performance in the friendly matches. Alperen is playing for a team, but he's not the only one who can do it.
We lost to Lithuania, and France won. (I accept the French defeat as normal.)
We only beat the Philippines. It's perfectly normal to beat the Philippines now, but even that didn't perform as I expected.
I don't think Türkiye will do anything good in this championship either. Serbia is my clear favorite.
I don't think we'll beat any teams other than Portugal and Estonia in the group stage.

[danherbias07]

Oh yeah, we need this thread. I think it was @LTU_btc who made the last one, right? Correct me if I am wrong.

Anyway, I will surely be one of the sports bettors who will bet on the games and follow them. Last time, I think I also recorded all my bets and actually almost just lost some money. I will definitely try to do better this time.

Good luck, everyone, and enjoy the games.

Are the stars already playing in the pre-tournament? I have not watched one yet. I should probably put this in my phone notifications so I will know the games that will play.

[LTU_btc]

I haven't seen any exhibition/ friendly game of any of the teams, so I said it based on how the teams' rosters are and which players they have. Plus, I really like Lauri Markkanen and I will want to see him and Finland pass to the next stage. Beating Germany and getting the 1st place will be more than difficult, getting the 2nd place is more than doable.

I also haven't see many games, besides my national team. But we never lost to Finland in official game, maybe only in some  friendly. But wewill see how it will be this time

That's the one side of the coin. The other is to give the opportunity to low-caliber teams to participate in such tournaments. Otherwise, they will never be in any. This way, more young people will start getting involved with the sport, as well as people with money.

You have a point, but somehow I doubt that it will be good PR if they will lose games by 30-40 points. Maybe it would be better to invest this money into youth basketball.

I wasn't impressed with Türkiye's performance in the friendly matches.

Yeah, Turkey so far is leaving bad impression. If they won't improve, it will be difficult to get out of group - even Estonia can be big challenge. Now they're playing with Germany, maybe we will see better image.

Oh yeah, we need this thread. I think it was @LTU_btc who made the last one, right? Correct me if I am wrong.

Maybe. Now I don't remember what was 4 years ago

[AHOYBRAUSE]

I wasn't impressed with Türkiye's performance in the friendly matches. Alperen is playing for a team, but he's not the only one who can do it.
We lost to Lithuania, and France won. (I accept the French defeat as normal.)
We only beat the Philippines. It's perfectly normal to beat the Philippines now, but even that didn't perform as I expected.
I don't think Türkiye will do anything good in this championship either. Serbia is my clear favorite.
I don't think we'll beat any teams other than Portugal and Estonia in the group stage.

Turkey, after having bad games which you mentioned, looked solid today against Germany (in Munich). They had all the chances to win the game, also had an easy put back layup to send it into overtime, but it wasn't supposed to be. Both teams still have plenty of work to do honestly.
Germany will now face Serbia, which will be the first REAL test. If Serbia brings their A game and gives the top guys plenty of minutes it's gonna be really tough for my German team to beat them. Excited for this one!!

[condoras]

I also haven't see many games, besides my national team. But we never lost to Finland in official game, maybe only in some  friendly. But wewill see how it will be this time

Since 4 teams advance from each group, I'm sure that Lithuania has the quality to progress to the next stage of the 16. The problem that we all know is which team from the other group suits them more. In simpler words, some teams might want to lose a specific game.

You have a point, but somehow I doubt that it will be good PR if they will lose games by 30-40 points. Maybe it would be better to invest this money into youth basketball.

Hosting such big tournaments as EuroBasket can produce more opportunities for people. Only the ticket sales and all the fans that want to see some of the superstars of the sport are enough to boost/ speed up things. Idk if Cyprus will be ruined with such differences, but it doesn't matter. You become better if you compete with the best.

[LTU_btc]

Season opener started with upset as Rennes with late gaol beats Marseille, and it happened despite Rennes red card in 1st half. Nobody from us didn't saw such outcome. Good that I barely bet on Ligue 1

Since 4 teams advance from each group, I'm sure that Lithuania has the quality to progress to the next stage of the 16. The problem that we all know is which team from the other group suits them more. In simpler words, some teams might want to lose a specific game.

Yeah, there is no question about getting out of group stage, but it would be good notto get Serbia BTW, about choosing opponent, we don't do that and we have painful experience for not choosing opponent. In last World Cup we decided not to lose against USA intentionally. In meaningless game we won and instead of Italy, we got Serbia in 1/4 final. And Serbia destroyed us completely.
Though, usually teams which decide to pick opponent usually don't end well.

[katanic97]

Thanks for making this topic. 15 days remaining. Looked at odds where Serbia is clearly favoured and Germany goes 2nd. Interesting. IMO, France is understimated too much. While Greece - Giannis isn't such such big force in FIBA basketball.
As Lithuanian, time already learned me not to have any expectations. It's been 10 years since we got last medals and now probably we're going to end in 1/4 final.
Cyprus is hoing to be weakest Eurobasket host ever.

Yeah I wonder why France isn't more in the conversation at the moment. I mean with the talent they have, as well as recent success (silver at the Olympics) it would be fair to assume they will definitely go fot the medals in this one. I have watched 2 games from Greece in the last days (against Serbia and Israel) and both times they got totally destroyed. They played without Giannis though for whatever reason.

France has a very good team, and as you said, they won silver at the Olympics. Here they can hope for a medal, of course there are some very strong teams in my opinion the main favorites are Serbia and Germany, but we’ll see. Honestly, I can’t wait for the competition to start.

[joeperry]

France has a very good team, and as you said, they won silver at the Olympics. Here they can hope for a medal, of course there are some very strong teams in my opinion the main favorites are Serbia and Germany, but we’ll see. Honestly, I can’t wait for the competition to start.

Yes they would definitely be in the quarter-finals or semi-finals but there's also strong team especially the Serbia where Nikola Jokić will going to participate. Actually, I'm not sure if France will going to be in the finals considering that Wembanyama, is not going to play due to injury and we all know Wembanyama did a lot and has a really huge impact in the olympics and this might affect the team's performance which might hinder them to be included in the finals.

[Cointxz]

France has a very good team, and as you said, they won silver at the Olympics. Here they can hope for a medal, of course there are some very strong teams in my opinion the main favorites are Serbia and Germany, but we’ll see. Honestly, I can’t wait for the competition to start.

Yes they would definitely be in the quarter-finals or semi-finals but there's also strong team especially the Serbia where Nikola Jokić will going to participate. Actually, I'm not sure if France will going to be in the finals considering that Wembanyama, is not going to play due to injury and we all know Wembanyama did a lot and has a really huge impact in the olympics and this might affect the team's performance which might hinder them to be included in the finals.

So far France is still showing a decent game without Wemby since other player cover Wemby absence like Massa that is very efficient against Croatia.

They belong to Group D which Slovenia is their only top rival on the top spot. Current Slovenia sometimes have a bad game so they have a chance to beat them on their group.

Serbia, Germany and Spain are top contender if I will pick a team for an outright bet.

[katanic97]

France has a very good team, and as you said, they won silver at the Olympics. Here they can hope for a medal, of course there are some very strong teams in my opinion the main favorites are Serbia and Germany, but we’ll see. Honestly, I can’t wait for the competition to start.

Yes they would definitely be in the quarter-finals or semi-finals but there's also strong team especially the Serbia where Nikola Jokić will going to participate. Actually, I'm not sure if France will going to be in the finals considering that Wembanyama, is not going to play due to injury and we all know Wembanyama did a lot and has a really huge impact in the olympics and this might affect the team's performance which might hinder them to be included in the finals.

If Serbia has the same team as in the Olympic games, i’m sure they will go far with the Joker, Bogdanovic, and the rest of the squad. Wembanyama is a key player for France, but still, they have quality even without him. I would love to see a surprise at the tournament, and i believe there will be one.

[ajanwalker]

I watched Türkiye in the VTG Super Cup matches, and I didn't like them at all. Yes, these matches count as friendly matches, but we lost the match against Almama, where we were leading, in the final minutes. Yesterday, we played for third place and beat the Czech Republic 79-65.
We'll be in the same group as the Czech Republic, and it's clear that the Czech Republic is a weak team.
Serbia has already told the other teams in the European Championship that they are the biggest favorites.
They defeated Germany 91-81 in the VTG final and won the championship.
Serbia will most likely be European champions. They are playing truly great basketball.