QUICK INTRO
Hi Suns Fans,
I am Javier Pastore - not the real one and current Paris Saint-Germain mid-fielder - but the one formerly known as PanameZoo, regular poster on the Suns best blog worldwide.
First of all I would like you to know that even if I have been reading and posting comments on a regular basis since 2010, this is my first ever fanpost so I hope it is both entertaining and written properly. English is not my forte (third language) as I am both French and Moroccan. So I beg you Dave King, please help me here if there is anything that can be done to make this article more readable, enjoyable. I will try to do my best nonetheless. Thanks ;)
As you know Basketball World Cup has just begun a few days ago and some current - or future - NBA players are currently on stage. One of them is Bogdan Bogdanovic who is better known by Bright Siders as being Sreekar's favorite player even if he has not played a single NBA minute yet, I am on Bogdan's Sreekar-driven bandwagon already to tell you the truth ;)
ABOUT BOGDAN BOGDANOVIC
Bogdan Bogdanovic (let's call him Bogdan² or just Bogdan) is a 22 year-old Serbian - and not Slovenian Kris!!! ;) - born in August 18th, 1992 who has played professional basketball for his homeland most prestigious team of Partizan Belgrade from 2010 to 2014 and has signed a 4 year contract with one of the top European teams Fenerbahce (Turkey) this summer. He has NBA opt-outs after his second and third year.
Wiki link for a quick summary of his achievements in Europe
STAGE
Group : A
Match Up : Serbia - France
Phase : Second Game, Qualification Groups
Place : Granada, Spain
Time : August 31st, 2014 3.30 pm local time (somewhere around 8.30 am AZ time if I am correct)
BOX SCORES
SOME CONTEXT FIRST...
France has lost its inaugural group game against Brazil 65-63 while Serbia won 85-64 against Egypt. I would have liked to provide you with a quick game recap of the latter game but I could not watch the game yesterday and Egypt is not what you can call a juggernaut. However Bogdan had a really good game it seems despite scoring only 3 points in 22 minutes of play. He had an excellent +23 plus-minus and was the facilitator for his teammates.
NOTES AND SUMMARY OF THE GAME
National anthems... Bogdan looks bulky (lower body and shoulders). He seems to be ready already for NBA physically-wise at 6’6 and 200 lbs.
Team France recently lost a friendly match-up against Serbia btw.
Raduljica is one of the guys Clippers got for Dudley. He looks like Pek with a Harden-like beard. After watching the game, I may lean toward thinking LAC actually won the trade since they also swapped a (late, guaranteed) future first rounder for an (likely early, non-guaranteed) future second rounder.
Joffrey Lauvergne (Team France starting center for this game) was Bogdan’s teammate at Partizan Belgrade. Announcers said he accepted to stay with the club and reduce his salary by half to help the club that has financial issues nowadays. That was despite "lucrative" offers from other European clubs (hi Bledsoe!!!). If I heard the commentators well he was Euroleague top rebounder last year too! I was pleasantly surprised to hear that!
France beat Serbia 74-73 at the last second and two players tried as hard as they could to will their team to victory : Joffrey Lauvergne (Denver Nuggets late second round pick in 2013 who looks like a STEAL in my book) and Raduljica (recently traded to LAC for Dudley who looks like Pek’s clone O_O).
First quarter was back and forth with both teams playing the same kind of bball (fast pace, lots of 3s and buckets in the paint, nifty defence). However France had more ball handlers (Diot, Jackson, Batum, Diaw...) and as a matter of fact assists while Serbia heavily relied on Raduljica inside and Teodosic, Bogdanovic on the perimeter. First 3 minutes of the first quarter was a clear demonstration of what Bogdan can be for the Suns in a year or two, i.e. a mix of Kyle Korver and Goran Dragic! J
Second quarter was all Serbia (especially Rad).
Third quarter was owned by Edwin Jackson (Jax, French version of Seth Curry) and Antoine Diot (6’7 PG).
It was a well-fought game throughout and the decision was made by Lauvergne when he sank his first free-throw with 1.1 seconds left and purposely (it seems) missed the second so that Serbia couldn’t get a "good look" after a timeout.
FRANCE WINS 74-73 thanks to Lauv and Batum throughout the game, Jax and Diot in the second half. Bogdan had a superb start of the game but then cooled off to end the half (he was bothered by foul trouble). In the second half he missed shots he would/should make but didn’t have the ball enough in his hands. Overall I’d say he had a good game but it could have been much better had he gotten the ball more often or asserted himself better on the court...
PLAY-BY-PLAY (Bogdan plays/involvement in bold)
I will call Raduljica "Rad", Bogdanovic "Bogdan", Teodosic "Teo", Lauvergne "Lauv" (pronounce "Love"), Edwin Jackson "Jax"
1st Quarter :
- First action of the game for Bogdan who frees himself from Batum swarming arms, uses a screen and buries the first shot a side 3-pointer from deep!! 3-0
- After a nice defence from Serbia Bogdan gets the ball at the top of the key, fakes right and goes left in almost the same motion and gets the little floater from 6 feet to go in!
- France tries to assert itself inside to start the game but misses close shots.
- Nice pass inside from Bogdan to Rad but he misses from close.
- Nice D from Bogdan! Strips the ball goes coast to coast and gets the and-1 lay-up (Diaw foul)!! 8 points already in less than 2 min of game play!!
- SERBIA 8 - FRANCE 3
- Both teams get their way inside but lack precision to convert from close.
- Give and go between Bogdan and Rad, the former gets enough space to shoot from mid-range but it goes in and out...
- Beautiful pass from Bogdan to Rad inside. He scores.
- Bogdan gets winded by Batum on a back door dunk! Splendid play from Nico! :)
- Rad gets blocked nastily by Lauvergne inside (I'll call him "Lauv", pronounced "Love" in French)
- Score board shows 10-10 after 4'30 of play
- Bad pass in direction of Bogdan at the 3-pt line (he was alone).
- Lauv is very mobile, crafty and unselfish to start this game. He looks like the real deal inside for Team France.
- Bogdan gets through multiple screens - à la Korver - and gets a quick look from deeeep-3 with Batum quickly closing out but gets it to fall nonetheless! Wooow talk about a sniper??! O_O 10 points in 5 minutes already for him despite having Batum - a top wing defender IMO - all over him!
- Both teams have their way inside offensively. 13-9 Serbia.
- Beautiful shot from range for Lauv!
- He follows that with a beautiful block but referees call a ticky-tack foul pfffff
- Flo Pietrus (Flo) and Lauv have their way inside both defensively and offensively. Rad has some pretty strong moves - he reminds me A LOT of Pekovic but with a huge Harden-like beard to boot - but misses at the rim a couple of times to start the game.
- 15-11 Serbia
- Bogdan out (1 foul only so maybe he just needs to save some energy for later à la Dragic). Subbed by Teo, the Serbian Ricky Rubio but with shooting abilities.
- Serbia seems "flat" offensively without Bogdan though...
- Lauv (Denver draftee) makes 2 FT, he's our force inside.
- Lauv scores inside!! Nice pass from Flo
- Bjelica scores on Flo 19-15 Serbia
- Splendid floater from Antoine Diot 19-17
- Teo throws a brick, rebound France.
- Batum for 3!!!! 19-20
- Teo scores 2-pts
- Lauv has reaaaally good hands and demeanor/body language.
- Overall you could really feel a big difference between Serbia with Bogdan and without him.
- Serbia 21-France 20 (8 assists for Team France!)
2nd Quarter :
- Fournier a bit short on his 3-pt attempt.
- Gobert fouls Rad (and-1 made)
- Flo has the ball stripped from his hands. Serbia scores. 24-20
- Bad turnover for Serbia, Diaw hits Diot (names pronounced exactly the same) for a close shot but he misses.
- Nice pass from Teo toward his inside player who scores.
- Nice steal and score on the other end for Jovic (wingman)
- Diot has been really bothered by Jovic to start this quarter!
- 26-20 Serbia is on a 9-0 run! 8 minutes to play before the half. Serbia shoots 8/14 and France 7/10.
- AAAAAAAWESOME pass from Diaw to Gobert inside for the easy dunk and the and-1!!!!!
- 28-23 (Serbia)
- Serbia uses and abuses of P&R play with Rad setting some pretty nice picks for his backcourt players.
- Gobert off-rebound but the put-back dunk is blocked by Rad!!
- Bogdan just came in. He had a shot all alone from 6-7 feet but misses shortly. Only his second miss of the game so far on 6 shots. It was the easiest one!
- Gelabale (Team France back-up SG) for 3!!!!! 30-26
- Batum gets back in to guard Bogdan.
- EXCELLENT pass from Bogdan to Rad inside who scores (goal-tending). Bogdan is so unselfish the way he plays, delightful...
- Nice D from Serbia 32-26
- Rad really has some great moves/ footwork inside, and with his bulky frame is difficult to handle. Lauv strips the ball from him on D though.
- Aside from Bogdan Serbian outside players have a difficult time to rack-up outside shots...
- Gelabale misses short.
- Too many TO for France (the team weak point in this quarter).
- 4 min to play 32-26
- Nice back-to -back defence from Batum as he steals a pass (followed by a short Diot miss) and follows with an offensive foul whistled on Bogdan who seems to defer to his teammates in this late first half way too much. Maybe Batum is just too much to handle for him right now, idk...
- Time out Bogdan replaced by Teo. Camera shoots at the public... BUT WHO IS THIS GORGEOUS LADY CHEERING FOR FRANCE IN THE STANDS??? AWESOME LADY!! A MAN'S DREAM!!! ;)
- Rad has a couple of nice moves, scores on some but misses some also.
- COAST TO COAST BATUM WOOOOW WHAT A PLAY!!!!!
- Without Lauvergne inside France has a hard time to score inside and establish a semblance of rim-protection with Diaw and Gobert.
- Serbia increases its lead 37-28! They 're on a 16-8 run with 1'30 to go...
- Enters Jax (played for Boston in the Orlando SL, was French league top-scorer last year, think Seth Curry if you want a nice comp ;) he buries a deep-3 on his first shot! 39-31
- Teo answers with a 3 of his own, 42-31
- Beautiful 3-pt shot fake from Batum and a BEAUTIFUL pass to Lauv inside who fakes and rises for the and-1 (converted)! Woooow!!!
- Teo brick (again...)
- SERBIA 42 FRANCE 34
3rd Quarter :
- Serbian misses its first shot.
- Bogdan is very close to steal a pass toward Batum
- Jax with the assist to Lauv! 42-36 (Serbia)
- Lauv foul on Rad, 2 FT, 44-36
- Jax assist to Diot on a cut inside! 44-38
- Good D from Bogdan on Batum who bricks a 3-pointer.
- Rad misses, O-reb and scores inside!
- Jax from mid-range! 46-40
- Nice post-up from Bogdan against the shorter Jax but misses on the turnaround.
- JAX FOR THE 4-PT PLAY!!!!!!!!!!! 46-44
- Steal and another coast-to-coast for Batum!! Evens the score 46-46!!
- Rad works inside – as usual – and gets the bucket – as often – 48-46
- Diot penetrates and lays it up, 48-48
- Bogdan is nowhere to be found on the court...
- Bogdan misses short a half court heave as the shot clock runs down.
- Very nice ball movement for France so far in this game, unfortunately Batum misses a 3-pointers (in and out)
- Classic Rad, he works inside, misses a shot, o-rebounds and gets the bucket from close! 19 points for him so far!!
- Bogdan out, 5 min to play...
- Gobert in for Lauv
- Score even 50-50
- And-1 converted by Serbia number 6 (wing player). Gobert takes his 3rd foul. Ouch...
- Diot 3-pointer from deep! 53-53
- Bjelica 3-pointer (13 pts so far) with 3’30 to play...
- Diot wreaks havoc on offense. gets the lay-up for his 12th and 13th point! Most of them in the 3rd.
- Team France puts a lot of energy in its game and impose its will on the game now! 56-55
- Planinic scores. 58-55
- Diaw (whose nickname is "the President";) gets back in. He misses a 3, takes the o-reb over the taller Serbian interior players and kicks it to Jax who scores again from 3!!!!!! 58-58!!
- Some exchanged baskets later and it is 62-60 (Serbia) to end the quarter.
4th Quarter :
- Heurtel (French starting PG) gets the bucket to even the score at 62-62
- Bogdan gets back in the game to start the 4th quarter. He’s defended by Kahudi (Kawhi-lite lol) but manages to get the ball to Rad inside who fakes but misses the shot.
- Bogdan misses from 3 while Kahudi makes his! 62-65 (France)
- Bogdan gets the bucket (mid-range shot)
- 64-65 (France)
- Kahudi misses short from underneath the basket.
- Clear path foul whistled against France (dumb play by Batum this time around). Serbia makes 2 FT but misses the shot on the ensuing possession.
- Lauv is the man of the game for France (while Rad is for Serbia) and he converts some crucial baskets/FT to help France overcome Serbia at the end of the game!
- 74-73 FRANCE!!!!!
That’s all folks!
I know it was (too) long a post but since I wrote everything on paper during the game I did not want to waste this work lol! It was a special game for me ;)
Next time I will go straight to the point (no intro and stuff) and will essentially focus on providing you with a recap of Bogdan’s play, a quick summary of the game and box scores
Cheers! ;)