EUROBASKET 2017 – NEED TO KNOWS

Here’s what you need to know about EuroBasket 2017.

When are Group D’s games?

Friday 1 September (All times BST)

Great Britain v Belgium (12.15), Serbia v Latvia (4pm), Turkey v Russia (7pm)

Saturday 2

Latvia v Belgium (12.15), Serbia v Russia (4pm), Turkey v Great Britain (7pm)

Monday 4

Great Britain v Latvia (12.15), Belgium v Russia (4pm), Turkey v Serbia (7pm)

Tuesday 5

Latvia v Russia (12.15), Great Britain v Serbia (4pm), Turkey v Belgium (7pm)

Thursday 7

Great Britain v Russia (12.15), Belgium v Serbia (4pm), Turkey v Latvia (7pm)

How can I watch the championships?

There is, disappointingly, no TV coverage in the UK of EuroBasket. The only official route is via subscription service livebasketball.tv

What is the format?

The four first round groups are split between four cities: Istanbul (Turkey), Cluj (Romania), Tel Aviv (Israel) and Helsinki (Finland).

The top four sides in each pool will advance into the Last 16 round where the knockout stages begin. All of the final phase will be held at the Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul.

What are the main storylines to watch out for?

New faces: A new wave of players could make their mark, especially Slovenia’s teen tyro Luka Doncic who is set for a breakout party in Helsinki where more fans, scouts and even opponents will see him than even before in Real Madrid. He’ll get a major role and benefit from the mentoring of compatriot Goran Dragic.

Same for Lauri Makkanen who makes Finland interesting even if the craziest supporters outside of Lithuania may not have too much to shout about.

NBA to FIBA: Guys who barely scrap the moniker of role players in the Association often seize a platform to show they can excel when given more of a stage. So look for Knicks export Mindaugas Kuzminskas to do more for Lithuania, Davis Bertans to step up for Latvia and the Hernangomez brothers to find their way into Spain’s rotation – at least more than pre-tourney.

In a flip of that coin, Hawks guard Dennis Schroder is coming off a campaign where he didn’t always convince as a starter in Atlanta. No time like the present to make Germans believe there is hope after Dirk.

Officials: As MVP first revealed, the referees at EuroBasket will almost entirely be chosen from the FIBA Champions League (surprise) with the experienced whistlers of the Euroleague shut out in a game of politics. Expect the coaches, unfamiliar with the faces calling the shots, to complain at every turn.

Euro value: With FIBA’s reorganisation of international basketball focusing heavily on World Cups, EuroBasket has been left without a real purpose since it was stripped of its secondary role as part of the World or Olympic qualification pathway. It badly needs to command attention and prove thrills and spills to prove it has a future. As a big EB fan, let’s hope that happens.

Who has won EuroBasket the most?

1. Soviet Union – 14 titles
2. Yugoslavia – 8
3. Spain – 3
4. Lithuania – 3
5. Greece – 2

Who are the tournament’s all-time top scorers?

1. Tony Parker (France) – 1.091 points in 67 games
2. Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) – 1,052 points in 49 games
3. Pau Gasol (Spain) – 1,033 points in 52 games*
4. Nikos Galis (Greece) – 1,030 in 34 games
5. Kamil Brabenic (Czechoslovakia) – 948 points in 62 games

*active player

Which NBA players are on show?

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