Luka Doncic after FIBA World Cup 2023 quarterfinal defeat: "Who hates Dillon Brooks but not me"
During the player introduction before the FIBA World Cup 2023 quarterfinals between Slovenia and Canada, Dillon Brooks walked onto the field to a rain of boos from thousands of fans in Manila, Philippines.
And then the boos turned into cheers when... Brooks was sent off by the referee at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Canadian defender was probably the only player in this entire World Cup who was treated somewhat "by the fans" heavy-handed" like that.
Not everyone likes or respects the way of fighting and trash-talking opponents like Dillon Brooks. But there is one person in the game who thinks in the opposite direction, and that is the "defeat" of Brooks and his team. Canadian team.
Responding to reporters after the 89-100 defeat in the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Cup 2023, Luka Doncic showed respect for Dillon and this player's playing style.
“I thought Canada played a good match. Personally, I think Dillon Brooks did his job very well," the 24-year-old Slovenian defender shared.
“He was very defensive and caused a lot of trouble for me and my teammates. That has been Dillon's strength since playing in the NBA. Many people don't like him but I'm different. I respect what he does and try to help the team win."
Dillon Brooks is the person assigned the main task of accompanying Luka Doncic in this match. Not only trying to prevent the opponent from scoring, Brooks was also responsible for "building up" Luka's fitness throughout the match.
"It's not easy to stop Luka from scoring, but we can tire him out at the end of the game," Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said about Canada's defensive strategy.
Doncic personally was affected both physically and mentally when he was both tired at the end of the game and angry when he constantly argued with the referees.
Although Dillon Brooks was sent off for a foul unrelated to Doncic, the Slovenian defender later followed suit and "went to the shower early" when receiving a second technical foul in the final round.
In the end, the Slovenian team could not create a surprise and lost to Canada with a difference of 11 points. This result puts Canada in the semi-finals to continue to hope for a medal, while Slovenia will fall to the Playoffs round of classification 5-8.
Despite not winning, Luka Doncic (26 points, 8-20 FG, 4-6 3PT, 5 assists, 4 rebounds) is still proud of the fighting spirit of his teammates:
“Not only this match but the entire tournament in the past, my teammates always tried their best to win. I am proud of this team.
Everyone devotes more than 100% of their effort to achieve the common goal. I believe the whole team should hold their heads high with their efforts and look forward to the final matches of the tournament."
On September 7, FIBA World Cup 2023 will take place the first series of 5-8 division Playoffs with two matches. Italy will meet Latvia at 3:45 p.m. Lithuania will then face Slovenia at 7:30 p.m
The two losing teams will meet to determine the 7-8th place on the afternoon of September 9. Meanwhile, the two winning teams will meet to compete for 5-6th place on the same evening.
