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Slovenia's quest to win the gold medal in the 2021 Olympics men's basketball tournament came to an end on Thursday after their 89-90 loss to France.
Luka Doncic recorded a triple-double, but France's elite defense proved too much for the Dallas Mavericks star and his teammates to handle. The Slovenians fought hard, nonetheless, cutting down France's 10-point advantage to just one point in the dying moments of the game.
However, Klemen Prepelic's layup attempt on the last possession for Slovenia was blocked by LA Clippers star Nicolas Batum, ending Doncic and co.'s hopes of facing the USA in the finals.
Slovenia will now face Australia in the bronze medal game on Saturday. The Australians blew a 15-point lead against the USA in their semi-final fixture to lose 78-97.
Slovenia's loss to France was their first of the 2021 Olympics men's basketball tournament. Prior to that, they had beaten Germany, Argentina, Spain and hosts Japan.
Slovenia were close to beating France but fell short. They will be hoping they can still end up getting a podium finish with a win against Australia. On that note, let's take a look at three reasons why the Slovenians can beat the Boomers in their bronze medal contest.
#3 Slovenia's offense has been elite
Slovenia has one of the best offensive units in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics tournament. They have scored an average of 102.4 points per game so far across five matches. Australia has a lethal defensive unit and has a size too, but the Slovenians have the potential to still outdo them if they get going offensively.
Slovenia has converted 49% of their field goals so far, which is a remarkable statistic to consider. Their ability to score from all three levels is also something that will benefit them in their game against the Australians.
Slovenia have scored 44 points per game in the paint and knocked down 13.6 three-pointers per contest so far. Slovenia's high-paced offensive play could tire out the Australians as the game goes on, which could tilt the tie in their favor.
The Americans took advantage of the same when they faced the Australians in their semi-final game on Thursday.
#2 Slovenia are a better rebounding team than Australia
Slovenia have been lethal at grabbing boards at an efficient rate. All their players play with a tremendous amount of physicality and hustle that helps them gain an advantage on that front. They have recorded 49 rebounds per game, while the Australians are averaging 38.
The Slovenians gain extra possessions due to that, which helps them dominate their opponents. They have scored a whopping 15.6 second-chance points per game because of their rebounding efficiency.
It will certainly come in handy against the Australians, who are known to play with a great amount of intensity. Rebounding is an underrated aspect but it matters a lot, especially at the international level, where it isn't easy to score or gain possession with ease.
#1 Slovenia are great at making in-game adjustments
One of Slovenia's best traits noted during the 2021 Olympics men's basketball campaign has been its ability to adjust to in-game situations. It helped them compete right up until the end of a game, which was evident during games against Spain and France.
Many thought Luka Doncic would be the only player opposition teams would have to worry about, but Slovenia have proven that isn't the case, at least in the scoring department. Whenever Doncic has been double-teamed or isn't given enough space to operate, his teammates have managed to step up brilliantly. It allows them to function as a team and put pressure on their counterparts.
Doncic could only score 16 points in 28% field goal shooting against France, but he had 18 assists on the night as his teammates converted the chances he created for them with great ease. Slovenia has five players, including Doncic, averaging at least 13 points per game so far.
It was also one of the biggest reasons Slovenia were able to script a comeback against the French and almost win the tie if not for Batum's game-saving block. That being said, even if the Australians gain an advantage early on in the game, the Slovenians do tend to fight back and win games. This is possible mainly due to the adjustments they can make depending on the situation of the game.
So even if the contest is a closely contested one, the Slovenians will likely be unfazed by the challenge of overcoming that obstacle and winning the tie against the Australians.
