The final tournament of European men basketball championship 2011 is in decisive phase. After ending the first sub-group stage were found out 12 best teams, which are divided in two sex-team groups E and F and continue fighting for gold medal. 12 teams have already finished competing at European championship. It is remarkable, that among them are such teams as Croatia, Italy and Israel.
Surprising was the fact that the only debutant Georgian national team went through D group (Russia, Slovenia, Georgia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Belgium), after Russia (the first place) and Slovenia (the second place), Georgian team took the third place and went through the second stage.  Georgian team as well as Ukraine and Bulgaria gained 7 points. According to the regulations of the tournament, when teams have the same points, the results of the matches between them define which team goes through the next round. As a result of it, Georgia went though the next stage of the tournament.
In group F, next to Georgia, Greece, Macedonia and Finland will compete. As for group E, there are stronger participants than in group F, those are the following: France, Serbia, Spain, Lithuania, Turkey and Germany. Georgian team, which lost with Slovenia and Russia, goes through the next round with 2 failures according to the regulations of the tournament. Its rivals are Finland, Macedonia and Greece.
8 teams go through the third stage, which will continue fighting for gold medal according to the Olympic system.
Unfortunately, Zaza Pachulia captain of Georgian national team will not be able to help the team at the second stage due to injury. He will be able to start training in a month. 

Georgian team was lucky, when FIBA increased the number of participants (24) at European championship and as a result Georgian went through the final tournament of championship. Georgian team was lucky in group D also, its future depended on Ukraine, which managed to win and as a result Georgia went through the next stage. And now, according to the rivals in group F – Greece, Macedonia and Finland it can be said that Georgians are lucky. If Pachulia were not injured, we would have had real chance of overcoming the second stage too. Georgian team has little chance of being among the best 8 teams, but it would be better if Pachulia were with the team. 

Georgiahas played against three of the future rivals (Greece, Macedonia, Finland). Macedonia and Greece competed well at the first stage, both of the teams lost one-one matches and took the I-II places in group. As for Finland, it shared the III-V places with Croatia and Bosnia. Tomorrow, on September 8 our first rival is Macedonia. In 2005, Georgia played against Macedonia, while competing in division B. Georgia lost this match 73:60 in Tbilisi and in away match lost with four points 77:81. Macedonia took the first place and went through the division A. Georgia stayed beyond the tournament, it had one less point than Macedonia. Now Macedonians are in good physical condition, but in spite of this it lost Montenegro 70:65. After this match Macedonia won all the matches and as for Montenegro, it was the first and the last victory. Montenegro took the last place and stayed beyond the tournament.   

As for Georgia, Manuchar Markoishvili, Viktor Sanikidze, Tornike Shengelia and Zaza Pachulia were distinguished players in Georgian team. Vladimer Boisa and Giorgi Shermadini are not in good physical condition. Giorgi Tsintsadze also played very unstable way. He played well against Belgium and Ukraine, but in spite of this he could not show all his possibilities. The same can be said about Marquiz Heynes. As for Tskitishvili, he deserves more playing time. Lasha Parghalava and Anatoly Boisa are in good physical condition but in spite of this they almost did not play for the team. The reason of it is unknown for basketball fans. As for Giorgi Gamkrelidze, he plays in stable way and does his best… 

Final tournament of D andC groups
D group
1.    Russia            5 5 0 371-321 10
2.    Slovenia       5 4 1 356-324  9
3.    Georgia  5 2 3 352-343  7
4.    Bulgaria   5 2 3 339-357  7
5.    Ukraine          5 2 3 322-327  7
6.    Belgium            5 0 5 304-372  5
C group
1.  Macedonia     5 4 1 362-337 9
2.  Greece   5 4 1 360-324 9
3.  Finland           5 2 3 373-366 7
4.  Croatia       5 2 3 396-404 7
5.  Bosnia             5 2 3 380-409 7
6.  Montenegro   5 1 4 357-388 6
 The second sub-group tournament
E group
September 7
Germany– Spain 68:77
Turkey– France64:68
Serbia– Lithuania90:100
1.   France 3 3 0 241-225 6
2.  Spain   3 2 1 225-212 5

3.  Lithuania    3 2 1 254-239 5

4.  Serbia        3 1 2 251-261 4

5.  Turkey      3 1 2 197-200 4
6.  German       3 0 3 197-228 3
September 9
Spain-Serbia16.30
German-Turkey19:00
Lithuania-France22:00
September 11
Serbia-Turkey16:30
France-Spain19:00
Lithuania-German22:00
F group
1. Macedonia  2 2 0 144-128 4
2. Russia       2 2 0 130-122 4
3. Slovenia    2 1 1 151-140 3
4. Greece      2 1 1 139-133 3
5. Georgia    2 0 2 133-152 2
6. Finland     2 0 2 131-153 2
September 8
Georgia-Macedonia16:30
Finland-Russia19:00
Slovenia-Greece22:00
September 10
Georgia-Finland16:30
Macedonia-Slovenia19:00
Greece-Russia22:00
September 12
Slovenia-Finland16:30
Georgia-Greece19:00
Russia-Macedonia22:00
Roland Labuchidze