HAMBURG (Germany) - Germany are loose, confident and ready to explode as they prepare to make a run at Olympic gold this summer.
On the heels of the FIBA Basketball World Cup triumph last summer in Manila, when the Germans lifted the Naismith Trophy for the first time in their history, Gordon Herbert's team looks in fine fettle just two weeks from the start of the Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024.
The competition will be much stiffer in France, with Group B games against hosts France, Japan and Brazil, yet fans nevertheless looked on in awe as one of the favorites got on top of the Netherlands early and never looked back, winning 95-50.
The story of the game
The Dutch led in this game, yet not for long.
After a 3-pointer by Terrence Bieshaar put the visitors on top 3-2, Andreas Obst set about reminding spectators of his scoring explosion in last year's World Cup Semi-Final against the United States, when his four shots from the arc and 24 points overall led Germany to a 113-111 victory.
Against the Dutch on Saturday night, Obst celebrated his 28th birthday in style by drilling four 3-pointers in the first quarter alone as Germany opened up a 23-6 advantage.
His marksmanship was contagious. Johannes Voigtmann and captain Dennis Schroder also buried 3-pointers.
By the end of the quarter, Germany had a 26-10 stranglehold on the game. They stretched the advantage to 49-25 by half-time and cruised the rest of the way.
The player of the game
Obst set the tone for a big German win with an eye-popping 18 first-half points. He followed up his four first quarter 3-balls with a couple of more in the second frame and was 6 of 7 at the break.
Some think Obst is the best shooter in Europe after what he's been able to do with Germany and FC Bayern in recent seasons.
At FIBA EuroBasket 2022, he buried a tournament best 25 3-pointers and shot 48.1% from long range. At the World Cup, in the big Semi-Final against the USA, Obst was 4 of 8 from deep. Saturday night was just another demonstration of his prowess.
The takeaways from the game
This was a great opportunity for the Netherlands to face the best, a good measuring stick for the Orange. They had attempted to win a FIBA Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament last year but came up short and therefore missed out on the OQTs that were just held in Valencia, Riga, Piraeus and San Juan.
Germany already look like a well-oiled machine, with Herbert having retained the majority of players that won the World Cup. Continuity looks like a strength.
Germany will not read too much into this game, since much tougher opponents lie ahead. Winning warmup games is not the most important thing. It's all about developing a rhythm and chemistry, and for coaches to work on tactics.
Remember, Herbert's team was blown out by France, 90-66, in a warmup game on July 6 in Cologne, yet made adjustments and rebounded in the second meeting just two days later in Montpellier, winning 70-65.
As a national team, the Germans are effectively shaking off the rust and will want to be ready when they take on Japan in their Olympic opener on July 27.
The stats of the game
In this decidedly one-sided affair, what was most impressive was Germany's ability to hit the ground running.
They shot lights out from long range in the first half, when they connected on 9 shots from the arc. By the end of the third quarter, Germany were 12 of 24 from deep and led 75-40. Five different players had hit shots from behind the arc, including birthday boy Obst, who was 6 of 8.
Also by the end of the third quarter, Germany had scored 28 points off 16 Dutch turnovers and were 13 of 14 at the free-throw line.
All five starters - Voigtmann, Franz Wagner, Theis, Schroder and Obst - finished in double figures.
FIBA