Markanen hit 29+8 against MVP, the rise of surprise is really unveiled

The Finnish men's basketball team played a perfect game, and they ushered in a historic moment. They defeated the top favorite Serbian men's basketball team 92-86 in the 2025 European Championship 1/8 final, shocking the basketball world. At the end of the game, all Finnish players celebrated with joy, and on the other side, Jokic left the stadium in desolate manner. "We did. We expected it, but no one else expected it, so we were very happy." Finnish defender Salin said excitedly.

This is a great victory in the history of the Finnish men's basketball team. "Yes, one of them. We plan to continue on this basis, and that's just the first step," Salin said. In this battle, Finland's top star Markanen competed with Jokic. He contributed 29 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals, with a plus-negative value of +12. He is very eye-catching in both offense and defense.

Markkanen averaged 26.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.0 steals in this European Championship, making him worthy of being the core of the team's inside line. The Finnish men's basketball team has reached the quarterfinals for two consecutive European Championships, which is the first time they have accomplished such a feat in history.

Obviously, the birth of a superstar has an important impact on the national team. The reason why the Finnish men's basketball team can rise is related to Markkanen's growth as a star who can stand alone. Markanen, known as Finnish Nowitzki, is already an NBA All-Star forward. In the FIBA ​​field, he fully demonstrated his abilities. In the group stage, Markkanen scored 43 points. In this game, he and Jokic had a wonderful confrontation. Compared with Jokic, this teammate gave him more support. Among them, Valtonin became the winning hero in the final quarter, attacking Jokic continuously, achieving excellent results. Jokic made four fouls at that time, and Valtonin broke through Jokic and made a layup to tie the score. Then Markanen used Jokic to replace the defense and had no time to come over, and made a Chinese shot to overtake.

It was Valtonin who hit Jokic with a three-pointer again. Markkanen broke through Jokic and missed a layup, but Valtonin scored a tip-in. Valtonin played with confidence and looked for Jokic again, hitting a three-pointer, giving the team a 6-point lead. Valtonin scored 10 points at the critical moment. Salin said after the game: "This is the game plan against Jokic, you have to attack him. Elias (Valtonin) has performed poorly recently and may have struggled a little on the offensive end, but today he stepped forward, I feel great. You know, he has that kind of courage. Very, very big."

Finland not only attacks Jokic at the last moment, but also chooses to attack Jokic at other times. Even the 18-year-old star Murining chose to attack Jokic, who scored two three-pointers in front of the NBA double MVP. "It's so brave. You know this kid... I think there are some things I can't describe him now, but he's really great. He's great. And he'll also achieve something great in the future. Hopefully he can be the best player in the world, but it takes time and practice. He'll definitely be an NBA player, but let's wait and see," Salin praised Mulining.

Murinen is a 2.10-meter-tall striker. At the age of 18, he has become an important rotation player for the Finnish men's basketball team and scored 9 points in this game. He has a great hope of entering the NBA to play in the future.

For the Finnish men's basketball team, this is a significant victory, and of course they will strive to continue to move forward on this basis.

(Doctor)