I am batting .750 going six for eight in picks for the first knockout round of the FIBA World Championships, but let's be honest the games were not that difficult to pick and if I used my head instead of my heart I would have been perfect. Regardless, we are at the quarterfinal stage of the competition, so onto the fearless predictions.
Serbia - Spain
Serbia barely squeezed out a victory against Croatia in a game where to be honest both teams deserved to lose. Nenad Kristic, of thuggery fame, has led Serbia into a quarterfinal match-up against Spain. After watching the Spain - Greece match in Greektown in Toronto, I have to say that although Spain were the better the team there are holes in the team. If the three-pointer is not falling, Spain lack a certified go-to scorer who can create his own shot. I am sorry but Marc Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro and Rudy Fernandez, while all complimentary pieces, are not at a superstar level. However, Serbia is not a super team and I expect Spain to cruise to the victory.
Posts By Panos Pick - SPAIN
Slovenia - Turkey
This is the easiest game to pick in my opinion, because I really believe that the home court advantage for Turkey is just too much to handle for the Slovenians. Furthermore, Turkey have Hedo Turkoglu finally hitting his stride and was instrumental in their victory over France. Slovenia are lacking one or two pieces to truly muster an offensive against Turkey.
Posts By Panos Pick - TURKEY
United States - Russia
The US is in complete f-you mode during this tournament and that could not have been more evident than in their victory against Angola. With the offensive firepower at their disposal the US should be 10+ point favorites against Russia. However, Russia plays a very similar game to the Brazilians, the same team that caused problems for the Americans in the group stage. Furthermore, the head coach of the Russian basketball team is an American and maybe, who knows, an upset could be on the cards. Yeah, but don't count on it.
Posts By Panos Pick - UNITED STATES
Lithuania - Argentina
Lithuania has run rampant through this tournament, joining Turkey and the United States as the only undefeated teams in the quarterfinals. However, they did struggle in their victory against China and will face a much tougher test in Argentina. Argentina outlasted Brazil in a memorable Sweet Sixteen match-up due to the fact, that as Houston Rocket GM Darryl Morey stated, 'Luis Scola went all video-game style in the final two minutes.' Scola was a beast and I don't see Lithuania controlling the Argentine big man.
Posts By Panos Pick - ARGENTINA
OVERALL RECORD
6-2
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