The last time Luis Scola reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, he was 26 years old. At that time, he was preparing to enter the NBA with his long black hair. He is now 39 years old, and his NBA career of more than 10 years has long ended. His short and medium hair is already mixed with silvery white. And he reached the semi-finals of the World Cup again.
"It's a mixture of flavors and a lot of significance," Scola said.
Scola scored 20 points, and point guard Facundo Campazzo added 18 points and 12 assists. Argentina defeated the favorite Serbia with 97-87 points. Argentina, which has 6 wins and 0 losses, will face the French team that defeated the United States.
“People keep saying it’s a miracle, it’s an upset, it’s about something that no one believes in, and it actually bothers me a little bit,” Scola said. “Let me tell you, 22 people in the past two months have Let’s get to the semifinals. That’s what we need, all 22 of us.”
"We've actually gotten here, and it's much more than a miracle."
Serbia’s most impressive performance this yearBogdan Bogdanovic Still scored a team-high 21 points. Nemanja BjelicaThere were also 18 points, and star center Nikola Jokic contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds.
"We worked very hard this summer," Bjelica said with a little self-encouragement: "It's hard to lose, but this is basketball. And there are more important things besides basketball."
Argentina maintained the lead until the beginning of the fourth quarter. However, after being overtaken by Marko Guduric's three-pointer, Argentina immediately launched a 19-6 winning offensive. Bogdanovic's three-pointer helped Serbia chase a six-point deficit 80 seconds before the end of the game, but Campazzo immediately responded with a two-point jumper.
"Campazzo undoubtedly dominated this game. This is his victory." Serbian Sasha Djordjevic also praised his opponent after the game.
Scola believed it was a team victory: "We played a great basketball game. We are a great team, we played well in this tournament, and we definitely deserved this win. .”
Entering the semi-finals was something Scola and Argentina promised two months ago, and now they have a chance to go further. After getting two days of rest, they will face France the day after tomorrow for a chance to enter the championship.
