Last three China Olympics men’s basketball spots booked
In the 2008 FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament in Athens 12 teams were shooting it out to claim one of three spots still available in the Beijing Olympic men’s basketball tournament.
On the last day of competition Germany defeated Puerto Rico 96-82 to win the final spot available at the Olympic’s. They joined Croatia who had earlier booked their ticket to Beijing with a 76-70 win over Germany and Greece who defeated Puerto Rico 88-63 in the semi’s.
Both losing semifinalists were given the second chance to go to Beijing and it was Germany who accepted. Germany were lead by NBA star Dirk Nowitzki who scored 32 points to help his team take the win.
The full list of teams for the China Olympics is as follows:
| Host country | China |
| 2006 FIBA World Champion | Spain |
| African Champion | Angola |
| Americas Champion & Runner up | USA & Argentina |
| Asian Champion | Iran |
| European Champion & Runner up | Russia & Lithuania |
| Oceanian Champion | Australia |
| FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament | Croatia, Greece, Germany |
The first matches at the mens’ Beijing Olympic basketball tournament tip off on August 10. The twelve teams are split into two pools of six for the round robin stage. The top four in each pool advance to the sudden death quarterfinals.
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