5-0 Finish Follows 2-2 Start; Sonic Leaves Team

By Kevin Pelton, SonicsCentral.com Staff Reporter

Forward Vladimir Radmanovic, left, took leave of the Yugoslavian national team Saturday.

Behind the play of stars Dejan Bodiroga (27 points) and Peja Stojakovic (26 points), the Yugoslavian national team won the gold medal at the World Basketball Championships last Sunday, defeating Argentina 84-77 in overtime. Playing for the most part without star guard Emanuel Ginobili, who suffered a sprained ankle a day earlier in a victory over Germany and played just 12 minutes, the previously undefeated Argentineans were nonetheless able to control most of the game. At the 2:16 mark, they led 74-66.

That’s when Bodiroga took over for Yugoslavia. Quiet through most of the tournament, Bodiroga brought an 11.1 ppg average into the final but exploded in the fourth quarter for 16 points. He scored nine consecutive points as Yugoslavia tied the game at 75. Afterwards, both sides had a chance to win in regulation. First, center Vlade Divac missed a pair of free throws for Yugoslavia with 5.9 seconds left. Argentina recovered and its Hugo Sconochini was able to get to the rim for a layup attempt that rattled out amid cries from the Argentinean bench that Sconochini was fouled by Yugoslavia’s Marko Jaric.

Unable to overcome the comeback and the no-call, Argentina quickly faded in overtime. Stojakovic opened the period with a three-pointer that gave Yugoslavia the lead for good, 78-75. Neither team made a field goal the remainder of the overtime, but Yugoslavia dominated at the free throw line to win 84-77 for their second consecutive WBC championship and fifth overall, the most of any country.

Sunday’s finale was a far cry from the Yugoslavian's play earlier in the tournament. Amid turmoil in the locker room and loud criticisms of coach Svetislav Pesic from across the ocean, Yugoslavia opened the tournament with a disappointing 2-2 start, upset first by Spain and then by Puerto Rico in its second-round opener. Pesic’s starting lineup, which omitted NBA stars Stojakovic and Divac, came under particular fire. Stojakovic and Divac were elevated to the starting lineup in time for a matchup with then 4-0 Brazil and Yugoslavia responded with a 21-point victory that indicated it was on its way.

After crushing Turkey by 32 points to advance to the single-elimination portion of the tournament, Yugoslavia faced a long-awaited matchup with the United States in the quarterfinal round. One of the two teams, the pre-tournament favorites, would not make the semifinals. With Yugoslavia trailing by 10 midway through the fourth quarter, it appeared they would fail to defend their 1998 WBC title, won when NBA players sat out because of the league’s lockout. However, a pair of three-pointers by Milan Gurovic sparked a 9-0 run and Yugoslavia dominated the stretch run thanks to Gurovic’s shooting and Bodiroga’s one-on-one play. The Yugoslavians emerged with a 81-78 victory and entered the WBC’s final four.

Though Yugoslavia had won three straight games entering its semifinal with New Zealand, playing without star Miami Heat center Sean Marks, it had not entirely shed the locker=room tension. At halftime, with Yugoslavia trailing by nine, Seattle SuperSonics forward Vladimir Radmanovic, upset with his sparse playing time throughout the WBCs, reportedly walked to the locker room eating a banana. Upset with Radmanovic’s apparent lack of interest in the game, Pesic confronted his young forward. Following an argument, either Pesic or Radmanovic’s own teammates, as more recent accounts have suggested, asked him to watch the second half from the stands. Radmanovic did just that, signing autographs, posing for pictures, and talking on his cell phone as Yugoslavia came back to earn a trip to the final with an 89-78 victory.

The relationship between Radmanovic and Pesic has been strained for over a year. Last summer, Pesic was upset when Radmanovic returned late to Yugoslavia after playing summer league ball for the Sonics. He was subsequently left off the national team.

Any problems seemed to be in the past this year as Radmanovic made the national team and played regularly in pre-WBC exhibitions, but reports have indicated that he and Pesic were involved in another fight a few weeks back that concluded with Radmanovic throwing a basketball at his coach. Radmanovic played 22 minutes in Yugoslavia’s opener with Angola and impressed, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Subsequently, however, he played just 11 minutes the remainder of the tournament.

For Radmanovic's Seattle and Yugoslavia teammate Peja Drobnjak, the WBCs were far less eventful. Drobnjak opened the tournament in the starting lineup before being replaced in the shakeup that put Stojakovic and Divac, amongst others, in the first five. Over the first six games of the tournament, Drobnjak averaged 19.2 minutes and 6.7 rebounds. However, he shot a disappointing 34.2% from the field.

As a result, when Yugoslavia got to single-elimination play, Drobnjak was cut out of the rotation. He played just two minutes and did not score in the team’s final three games.

Team Yugoslavia’s Schedule/Results (all times Pacific)
August 29 - Yugoslavia 113, Angola 63
Putting to rest any questions about sluggish play, the Yugoslavians crushed heavy underdog Angola, shooting a sizzling 64.6% from the field. Radmanovic and Drobnjak each chipped in 11 points, with Radmanovic grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds.

August 30 - Spain 71, Yugoslavia 69
In one of the WBC's biggest surprises thus far, Spain upset the Yugoslavians behind the play of Gasol, who scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Drobnjak scored seven points playing 25 minutes because of Divac foul trouble, while Radmanovic managed just two points in seven minutes.

August 31 - Yugoslavia 87, Canada 71
The Yugoslavians saved second place in Pool A with a 16-point victory over the Canadian team, which finished 0-3. Drobnjak scored five points in 13 foul-plauged minutes, also picking up five fouls. With Yugoslavia turning to more experienced international players, Radmanovic did not play.

September 2 - Puerto Rico 85, Yugoslavia 83
A second close game for the Yugoslavians ended in upset, as the Puerto Rican team overcame an 11-point deficit inside the final seven minutes thanks to 31 points from former Phoenix Suns center Daniel Santiago. With the game tied at 83, Puerto Rico's Jose Ortiz was fouled and made one of two free throws, rebounding his own miss on the second try. He again split two free throws with the clock running out after the miss. Radmanovic did not play for the second straight game, while Drobnjak had eight points and four rebounds in 21 minutes.

September 3 - Yugoslavia 90, Brazil 69
With their hopes of even advancing to the medal round in jeopardy after two losses in three games, the Yugoslavian team took a big step back in the right direction with a blowout over the previously undefeated Brazilian team. Despite the lopsided final, Radmanovic was the only player on either side not to play. Drobnjak struggled, scoring five points on one of seven shooting.

September 4 - Yugoslavia 110, Turkey 78
The Yugoslavians continued their hot streak by crushing Turkey, which has struggled to a 2-4 record in the WBCs. With the win, Yugoslavia advances to the semi-finals as the third seed from Group E, setting up a showdown with Team USA. Drobnjak scored four points in 16 minutes, while Radmanovic saw his first action of round two and scored five points in four minutes.

September 5 (quarterfinal) - Yugoslavia 81, USA 78
The United States had not lost in in 58 international matchups with NBA players before falling to Argentina Wednesday night. Yugoslavia made it two straight losses, coming back from a double-digit deficit midway through the fourth quarter to eliminate the US from medal contention. Neither Radmanovic nor Drobnjak played.

September 7 (semifinal) - Yugoslavia 89, New Zealand 78
Despite the absence of star Sean Marks, the surprising Kiwis hung tough and took a nine-point lead to halftime. It was all Yugoslavia in the second half as they pulled away to advance to the championship game. Drobnjak was scoreless in two minutes while Radmanovic left the team at halftime and watched the second half from the stands.

September 8 (championship) - Yugoslavia 84, Argentina 77 (overtime)
Star power carried Yugoslavia in the final as Bodiroga scored 27 and Stojakovic 26. Trailing 74-76 with 2:16 left, Bodiroga scored nine straight points as Yugoslavia sent it to overtime. There, they dominated as Argentina did not score a field goal.

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