MANILA, Philippines – Latvia star forward Davis Bertans had no time to mourn his crushed dream run in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, as his team was immediately slotted into the classification phase against Italy on Thursday, September 7 – less than 24 hours after a 79-81 quarterfinal defeat to Germany.

Wins heal all wounds, however, as Bertans was quick to move on from his missed game-winner after Latvia repulsed Italy’s comeback, 87-82, to now finish no lower than sixth place in its first-ever World Cup.

“We came out kind of slow a little bit, but it’s understandable after the tough game yesterday. We responded pretty well. Second quarter, we played much better and we got back in the game. After that, we just kept playing our basketball,” he said after a modest 9-point effort in 19 minutes.

Asked about his previous game, Bertans echoed what others like Rodions Kurucs already said immediately after the Germany loss, that everyone is at peace with the result despite its heartbreaking nature.

“I feel like it was a great shot. I had the shot going the whole game,” Bertans continued.

“Every single teammate told me they respected that shot and they wanted me to shoot it. Unfortunately, it didn’t go in, but the timing also gave us a chance to fight for a rebound and a tip-in. We got a couple of guys down there that got their hands on the ball.”

Looking slightly ahead of what is already a historic World Cup run, Bertans is cautiously optimistic that Latvia can carry its momentum to other important FIBA tournaments like the Olympic Qualifying Tournament and the EuroBasket.

“It’s hard. We played a great tournament already. We have one more game. Playing this way, we have a chance,” he continued.

“But you know, there are a lot of great teams going to the Olympics and playing in Europe, so it’s not that easy.”

Latvia’s Cinderella run may have struck midnight in the World Cup, but the afterparty is just beginning, and the rest of the world is still invited.

– Rappler.com