'We played stupid': Sasu Salin reacts to sensational loss vs. Japan / News - Basketnews.com

After a sensational loss against Japan, Finland national team guard Sasu Salin admitted that Finland lost their heads in the crucial moments

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

So far, the biggest upset of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 took place in Okinawa as Japan sensationally eliminated Finland, which will continue to fight for only 17-32nd places in the tournament.

Player of the Game EFF 44 Josh Hawkinson Points 28 Accuracy 7-9 Rebounds 19 Assists 1

Despite a sluggish start and an early 7-15 deficit, Finland bounced back and even had an 18-point lead at the end of 3rd quarter.

Yet, it wasn't enough as Japan dominated in the 4th quarter (35-15) and eventually won the game 98-88.

The breaking point seemed to be in the middle of the 4th quarter. After Japan tied the match at 78-78 with 4:35 to go, it closed the game on a 20-10 run.

"I don't know if we panicked, but we played a little bit stupid," Sasu Salin didn't mince his words after the game. "We were playing too fast, we put the ball in the middle where they were stacked. Congratulations to them for playing much smarter."

"We allowed them to play the way they like to play," Salin continued. "They were in front of their fans. Okay, they made a lot of tough shots, but they got the ball going, and we couldn't answer."

Meanwhile, Jacob Grandison took about a 10-second break before beginning to explain what just happened.

"They played a good game and deserved to win. We could have been better, but we didn't do that. We could have done a lot of things better tonight, especially in the last couple of minutes, but they got in front, and that was that," said the 25-year-old guard.

It was a completely opposite mood on the winning side. Even the local media and players were tearing up out of joy, while head coach Tom Hovasse didn't hide how proud he was of his team.

"It was a crazy game," Hovasse said. "The guys never gave up. It was looking kinda bleak, and we didn't shoot the ball well in the last 3-4 games. Tominaga gave us a huge boost on the offensive end and really was active on defense, too."

Sasu Salin

Position:SGAge:32Height:191 cmWeight:86 kgBirth place:Helsinki, FinlandProfileNewsStatistics

"Once we start making threes, they had to come out and respect that," Japan's head coach said about the comeback. "It opens up our speed. It's always the type of basketball we want to play, we just haven't been making our threes.

Once Tominaga got hot, you noticed in 4th quarter, Josh started getting wide-open layups. They were so worried about guarding the 3-point line that we were able to get some slips and open baskets."

Now, the crucial game comes for Japan as one of the host nations will face Australia in a do-or-die matchup.

"In the Asia Cup, Keisei [Tominaga] had a great game and kept us in it, but in the latest window, they crushed us," Hovasse noted. "They are one of the best teams in the world."

"We cannot allow them to push us around. They're bigger, they're stronger, but we'll have to battle on the rebounds. We have to shoot probably better than we did tonight. If we can play our game, I like our chances. We are here to win, not to participate. Obviously, we never take them lightly, they are amazing," Hovasse added.

With Finland basically packing the bags, Group E just got an interesting and very unexpected spice.

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