Hello once again from Spain:
We started in Bilbao, proceeded to Barcelona and have finally reached Madrid. One more game to go – and it’s the most important one yet.
After defeating Lithuania in the semifinals, we are looking forward to Sunday’s matchup against Serbia in the 2014 FIBA World Cup title game. Our players have worked very hard to get here and they understand the magnitude of this moment.
As Brazil and France found out, Serbia is a very formidable opponent. They are a tough team that has size at every position. They also play without fear, and won’t back down just because we’re wearing USA across our jerseys.
Several of our games throughout the tournament have been close in the first half and then we’ve come out and pulled away in the third and fourth quarters. Of course, this is not by design and we’d like a much faster start in the gold medal game.
I’d like to praise our players for their attention to detail and their ability to stay focused throughout the World Cup. They’ve done everything we’ve asked in practices and video sessions as we prepare for each game.
After several weeks together, we are so close to our gold-medal goal. The coaches believe in this team and each and every player selected to be part of this remarkable roster.
Go USA!
Arturas
A longtime member of the Lithuanian national team, Arturas Karnisovas won Olympic bronze medals in 1992 and 1996 and captured silver at the 1995 European Championships. He joined USA Basketball as the international player personnel scout in 2013 and is entering his second season as the assistant general manager of the Denver Nuggets.