Russia sleepwalks to Independence Cup title<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Basketball purists can breathe a sigh of relief,
\nthe fifth Independence Cup is now history.<\/p>\n
With last night's win, Russia can lay claim to being the best
\nbasketball team in Indonesia right now.<\/p>\n
But that's not saying much.<\/p>\n
In a game that more closely resembled a schoolyard pick-up
\ngame where the players aren't too familiar with each other's
\nmoves, a skeleton Russian team defeated Saudi Arabia 72-54.<\/p>\n
Granted, the Russians played without the bulk of the team
\nwhich won the contest to finish second behind the American Dream
\nTeam II at last month's World Championships, but that doesn't
\nexcuse their sloppy first half performance last night.<\/p>\n
Three members of Russia's team here were on the side that beat
\na tough Croatian team in Toronto. Playing against and defeating a
\nteam that included the likes of solid NBA players Toni Kukoc and
\nDino Radja (of Croatia) should count for something.<\/p>\n
The first half was a little hard on the eyes.<\/p>\n
The Senayan faithful were treated to a succession of air
\nballs, bricks and out-of-control play.<\/p>\n
Baskets were few and far between. Wide-open lay-ups weren't
\neven a sure thing.<\/p>\n
Calling the first half a defensive struggle is too kind.<\/p>\n
The Russians bulled their way to a 19-16 lead before the
\nquicker Saudis parlayed their athletic ability into an 18-5 run
\nto take an eight point lead at halftime.<\/p>\n
Pep talk<\/p>\n
Whatever the Russian coach said during the intermission must
\nhave rubbed off because the team that took the court for the
\nsecond half played like they had a plane to catch.<\/p>\n
Gone were the errant passes, the careless fouls and the
\nmatador defense.<\/p>\n
The Russians stopped playing down to the Saudis level and
\nsimply put the game away.<\/p>\n
They scored the first eight points of the second half so fast
\nthat Saudi coach Randy Haefner could do nothing but call a quick
\ntimeout in a futile attempt to regroup.<\/p>\n
The clock may have stopped, but the momentum had clearly swung
\nthe Russians way.<\/p>\n
The Saudis closed to within 51-44 before running out of steam.<\/p>\n
The Russians played the rest of the game the way a miler
\nshifts into a higher gear for the final lap, not even forgetting
\nto lean at the tape.<\/p>\n
It was all Russia, as the Saudis began to fade.<\/p>\n
The final margin of 18 points would have been a lot wider if
\nthe Russians had received an earlier wake-up call.<\/p>\n
The estimated 450 in attendance can be thankful that the
\nsecond half wasn't a repeat of the first, or else they would have
\nbeen left wondering if the wrong Russian team had been sent here.<\/p>\n
Those that showed up early at least got to witness a near
\nmelee during the consolation game which was won by South Korea
\nover the United Arab Emirates 56-45.<\/p>\n
Senayan stadium personnel can now tackle the urgent task of
\nreplacing the rims that were the targets of such abuse over the
\npast week. (brd\/hdj)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/russia-sleepwalks-to-independence-cup-title-1447893297",
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