The 31 points collected by the double NBA MVP before were not enough for the Greeks, already led 96-82 at the time of the second unsportsmanlike foul of the "Greek Freak", synonymous with exclusion.
When the Milwaukee Bucks star sent his arm into the face of Alba Berlin winger Johannes Thiemann, Germany was already racing ahead and Giannis Antetokounmpo already looked on his way back, one lap after the another double MVP, Nikola Jokic, ejected in the round of 16 with Serbia.
A sickly clumsiness in the third quarter weighed down Greece, which conceded a 20-1 (77-62) when it returned to the locker room in the lead (61-57).
Yet undefeated in the group stage, she left the European Championship at the quarterfinal stage for the third time in a row.
The band of three Antetokounmpo brothers had already shown signs of feverishness in the round of 16 against the Czech Republic (94-88).
Far from being serene, the Greek selection had taken control only in the middle of the last quarter, a moment led by the Czechs (70-69).
Dominated in the rebound (32 against 46), the Greeks offered many second chances to the Germans, very successful at three points (17/31, 55%).
Like the five shots behind the line of the back of Bayern Munich Andreas Obst.
Germany, only tamed by Luka Doncic's Slovenia in the group stage, reached the last four of a Euro for the first time since 2005. Led by legend Dirk Nowitzki, MVP of the tournament, the Nationalmannschaft lost in the final .
© 2022 AFP