“One bad game doesn’t change anything”

Captain Dennis Schroeder is reluctant to make any changes in the semi-final against the USA after a poor performance in the World Cup quarter-finals. “Everything I’ve done the last few weeks is the same. I’m not trying to do anything different. I’ll be aggressive and create for my teammates,” Schroder said Thursday. “I always play my game. A bad game doesn’t change anything.”

Schröder had a bad day in the eighth round on Wednesday, making several bad decisions and scoring just nine points in a narrow 81:79 win over Latvia. Pacer Schroeder received support from the national coach in Friday’s (2:40pm) semi-final against the Americans.

“Those nights happened. Others did better. Tennis will strike again. Someone asked me: Can we leave him on the court in the last few minutes? I said: We win or lose with the best players on the court,” said Gordon Herbert.

Schroder sees his chances against the five-time world champion alongside NBA experts like captain Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Halliburton and Anthony Edwards. “They’re favorites. They’re under pressure. We accomplished what we set out to do. In the end, we can play without pressure. But of course we have a chance to win the game. It always happens. Basketball,” said the 29-year-old, who will play for the Toronto Raptors next season.

Meanwhile, Herbert warned against the Americans, who surprisingly lost against Lithuania 104:110 in the intermediate round and then beat Italy in the quarterfinals with 100:63. “The loss to Lithuania helped them a lot. That was a wake-up call. They were a different team against Italy. I hope we see that in the Lithuanian constitution,” the Canadian said.