BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Three matches are more than enough to prove why Serbia tops the FIBA Basketball World Cup Power Rankings, even ahead of defending champions the United States.
Following routine lop-sided victories over Angola and the Philippines, by 46 and 59 points respectively, Serbia made it three wins from three by holding off main group rivals Italy.
Steady and balanced, the Serbians demonstrated their ambition and quality, along with the likelihood that they will feature prominently in the tournament.
Head coach Sasha Djordjevic unexpectedly left Nikola Jokic on the bench in all three games, but every time he stepped out, the NBA All-star center soon produced something to drive his team forward. Jokic averaged stats of 13.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
But in the paint, Serbia didn't put all their eggs in one basket. Aside from Jokic, Boban Marjanovic, Miroslav Raduljica and Nikola Milutinov protected Serbia's rim well and used their agility and vision.
Serbia also has Bogdan Bogdanovic, without doubt the hottest shooter behind the arc so far in China.
Having averaged 20.5 points in his previous two matches, Bogdanovic improved that to 31 points against Italy, making six of 11 three-pointers and becoming the first player to combine for 30 points, five assists and five steals in a single game in a FIBA Basketball World Cup game since 1994.
"He was on fire," Djordjevic said of Bogdanovic's shooting form.
With several key players withdrawing from its tournament roster, Team USA might have anticipated a tougher challenge this year, but possibly did not expect it to arrive so early.
Facing Turkey, whom it defeated in the final of the 2010 World Championship, the United States needed an overtime and four missed free throws from its opponent to keep its winning streak in major international tournaments rolling over, before regrouping to trounce Japan by 53 points in the final group game.
Featuring mostly promising yet inexperienced young players, Team USA now faces its next few games without Jayson Tatum, after the Boston Celtics small forward sprained his ankle against Turkey.
The 2019 tournament has shown that world basketball is still centered in Europe and the Americas, with Australia being the only team from outside those regions to qualify for the second round.
Among other leading teams, Argentina, Spain and France kept their winning records intact. Greece, with current NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, battled past New Zealand in its final group game to progress. But Germany lost its decisive duel against the Dominican Republic, with its opponents progressing at Germany's expense.
The 2019 World Cup has also seen its fair share of surprises, with tournament debutants the Czech Republic making it into the second round by virtue of a superior head-to-head record against Turkey.
Asian basketball fans have had little reason to cheer, with all six participants, including hosts China, failing to clinch a spot in the last 16.
Chinese fans were optimistic of a good showing on home court, with their hopes buoyed after a win in the first game against Cote d'Ivoire.
But Team Dragon squandered several free throws at the death against Poland, before slumping to a disappointing defeat against Venezuela.
It was a similar story for African teams, with no side progressing to the last 16, though the continent at least saw Nigeria, Tunisia and Angola each manage to pick up one win.
The format of the World Cup means that teams who failed to progress to the second round now drop into the classification round, with the promise of direct entry to the 2020 Olympic Games remaining a prize to fight for.
