By Dionysis Aravantinos/ info@eurohoops.net
This is going to be the 10th game between the two teams in their modern history. Their rivalry, however, has started off since the early 1960s – 1970s and continued in the 1980s with spectacular games between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union.
After the WWII, both teams become dominant in the international basketball scene. Yugoslavia captured 13 World Cup and Olympic medals in total, while the Soviet Union had 17. In the EuroBasket, the Soviet Union has won 21 medals, including 14 gold. Yugoslavia, on the other hand, has captured 13 medals including 5 gold. Until the late 80s, both teams were above any competition and the main US rivals.
Drazen Dalipagic, Kresimir Cosic, and Drazen Petrovic have played for Yugoslavia and have entered the basketball Hall of Fame. The same applies to Sergei Belov, Arvydas Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis who have played for the USSR.
The games between this two basketball powerhouses were incredible to watch. The final in 1988 Olympics in Seoul was simply amazing. The passion, the nerves, the big-time players, coaches left a lasting legacy. The final score favored the Soviet Union who got the win and the Olympic gold with a 73-66 victory.
Between Russia and Serbia however, the game in the World Cup Final in 1998 in Athens was by far the best one these two countries have showcased. Dejan Bodiroga for Serbia was spectacular to watch in the late 1990s with amazing performances in crucial games. Zeljko Rebraca was the hero for Serbia in that game. He scored 16 points and also had a very crucial block on Mikhail Mikhailov. The rivalry continued in the early 2000’s and remains one of the biggest rivalries in international basketball.
Other great games between the two countries include the 2003 EuroBasket semi-finals with Serbia advancing to the final with a 77-86 victory and Russia’s 77-67 victory in the 2011 EuroBasket quarter-finals. Players like Andrey Kirilenko, Victor Khryapa, Milos Teodosic and Nenad Kristic were dominating the court.
As Bogdan Bogdanovic, Boban Marjanovic, Aleksey Shved, and Timofey Mozgov are the next in line to take on this challenge, we bring you in full details the nine FIBA games between the two countries.
History of Russia vs. Serbia (TABLE)
|
Russia vs. Serbia FIBA games (dates) |
Result |
| August 9th, 1998. World Cup Final |
Russia vs. Serbia: 62-64 |
| June 28th, 1999. EuroBasket Group Stage |
Russia vs. Serbia: 76-68 |
| September 17th, 2000. Olympic Games Group Stage |
Russia vs. Serbia: 60-66 |
| September 5th, 2003. EuroBasket Group Stage |
Russia vs. Serbia: 95-80 |
| September 12th, 2003. EuroBasket classification 5-8 |
Russia vs. Serbia: 77-86 |
| September 3rd, 2007 EuroBasket Group Stage |
Russia vs. Serbia: 73-65 |
| September 17th, 2009 EuroBasket Quarter-Finals |
Russia vs. Serbia: 68-79 |
| September, 15th, 2011. EuroBasket Quarter-Finals |
Russia vs. Serbia: 77-67 |
| September 2nd, 2017. EuroBasket Group Stage |
Russia vs. Serbia: 75-72 |
| TOTAL GAMES: 9 | WIN/LOSS: Russia: 5. Serbia: 4. |