3x3 basketball made its Olympics debut in 2021, and Serbia came to Tokyo as the heavy favorite. The Serbian team won the World Cup four times, and a fourth-place finish in the 2019 World Cup didn't diminish their chances The Serbians lived up to their top billing after the Tokyo Olympics commenced, finishing first in the round-robin stage. But the Russians beat the Serbians in the semifinals (in convincing fashion). Winning a bronze medal was bittersweet.
"There is a lot of regret because we are not in the final. That was our main goal and from this point of view I can say we are lucky we are leaving with that (bronze) medal," Dejan Majstorovic said.
Latvia was the inaugural Olympic champion, and it wasn't a surprise at all. Latvia finished second in the 2019 World Cup. The Latvian men's national 3x3 team finished third in the round-robin stage, which would mean that they didn't have a bye like the top two teams, namely Serbia and Belgium. Latvia saved their best for the knockout round, routing Belgium in the semifinals and then scored a come-from-behind win over Russia in the gold-medal game. The five-point deficit was nothing to them.
"I just played this game like a regular game. I did it how I do it every time," Karlis Lasmanis said.
Fast forward, Serbia at the Olympics 2024 is still the hot favorite to win the gold medal. The Serbian men's national 3x3 team won the last two editions of the World Cup. The Serbians are the top-ranked team in the latest FIBA 3x3 ranking. But every team brings their A+ game to the Olympics. The memory of the 2020 Olympics might haunt Serbia. Or it would spur them to play harder.
There's more to 3x3 basketball than the number of players (who can participate in a game). It will only take 10 minutes (to determine the winner). 5x5 basketball emphasizes teamwork, but it's the opposite in 3x3 basketball. (Some would argue about adaptability, but it could be a case-to-case basis.) And long-range shots are more successful in 5x5.
These are the 8 teams who will compete for Olympic glory:
The three countries were the top three teams in the FIBA 3x3 ranking last November 2023
It's interesting to note that Poland is the only team not ranked in the Top 8 (or Top 10). Mongolia is the seventh-ranked team in the FIBA 3x3 ranking, but lost to France in the third Olympic qualifying tournament in Debrecen, Hungary. (It was a do-or-die game for both teams.)
Filipino basketball fans would wonder about the chances of the Philippine men's national 3x3 team. The Philippines hosted the 2018 FIBA 3x3 World Cup, and the result was the eye opener that the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) needed to know. The Philippines finished 11th. The Philippine men's national 3x3 team failed to qualify during the next three editions of the World Cup. They didn't qualify for any of the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments as well. For the Filipino hoopsters to have a fighting chance, it must give a stiff challenge to China and Mongolia, the only Asian teams in the top of the FIBA 3x3 World Rankings. Is it a matter of when? Maybe. The 2028 Summer Olympics is a short time away.
Yutien Andrada, Chris Eximiniano, Chester Saldua, and Joseph Sedurifa represented the Philippines during the 2024 FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup. You can visit OKBet Sports - the leading platform to get basketball news.
All eight teams go through the round-robin stage. The top two teams get a bye to the semifinals while the next four best teams must go through the play-in (or quarterfinals). The winners advance to the semifinals. Let's meet the four teams who are likely to advance to the medal round:
The Serbian men's national 3x3 team is head and shoulders above the rest. But the fans will be a major factor in this second edition. (COVID kept sports fans from traveling to Tokyo.) If Serbia really wants to win the gold medal, then the 2024 Olympics is theirs to lose. Serbians fans can inspire Serbia, led by Strahinja Stojacic, to play hard during those crucial moments.
The United States, the 2019 World Cup winner, is the strongest challenger of Serbia. On paper. Anything can happen during the Olympics. Lithuania can score an upset, and then advance to the semifinals. It depends on the win-lose ratio after the round-robin stage. Not a few would argue that the rest of the world catched up with the US. It's not far from the truth.
If Franck Seguela is healthy, then expect Les Bleus to make it to the finals. Those who followed the 2023 World Tour would attest to it. The vocal home crowd should give them that much-needed energy, and motivation, during those last few minutes.
The Latvian men's national 3x3 team is the defending Olympic champion, but they're the dark horse in this competition. No fan would doubt their capability, and their chances of winning, during the knockout round. Latvia can beat anyone when they play their very best. And a little luck can turn them into back-to-back Olympics winners.
(The ranking is in parenthesis.)
Gold: Serbia
Silver: France
Bronze: Latvia
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