Mavs' Doncic Leads Slovenia To Olympics Semifinals With Win Over Germany - Can They Win Gold?
If you don't know how good the Slovenian national team is at basketball, you simply haven't been paying attention. Despite having some of your traditional basketball powerhouses in this tournament, including the United States, Spain and others, Slovenia has proven that they are for real, and they have their sights set on competing for a gold medal if they can get just one more win.
Led by Dallas Mavericks megastar Luka Doncic, Slovenia kept up their winning ways by blowing out Germany in Monday night's quarterfinals matchup, 94-70. Doncic finished the game with 20 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists.
Doncic and Slovenia now advance to the Olympics semifinals to face the winner of France vs. Italy. One more win, and Luka Doncic will be playing for a gold medal, something he's always dreamed of.
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Slovenia wasn't regarded as a favorite heading into this tournament, but perhaps they should have been ranked higher than they were, especially when you consider that the team is now 17-0 all-time when Doncic plays in competitive matches. ... another impressive statistic to add to Doncic's basketball resumé that may already be Hall-of-Fame-worthy.
Although Doncic is the driving force behind Slovenia's success, there is more to this team than just him. The Slovenian national team features a handful of players who have taken turns impressing us at times this summer, including big man Mike Tobey, Vlatko Cancar, Zoran Dragic (little brother of Goran Dragic, who might find himself a member of the Mavs with Doncic sooner than later), Klemen Prepelic and Jaka Blazic.
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And these guys aren't just winning, they're blowing the doors off of other teams with their 20-plus point tournament point differential as the evidence.
Doncic and Slovenia still have work to do, but with one more win, they could be playing for a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics -- possibly against Team USA if things go the way we think they will -- and that would not only be a major treat for Mavs fans, but basketball fans everywhere.
Čestitam, Luka. Keep making Dallas and your country proud.
