On September 7, Beijing time, during the Round of 16 in the 2025 Men’s EuroBasket knockout stage, Serbia’s basketball team was upset 86-92 by Finland, marking their second straight tournament exit at this phase. Serbia’s coach Pesic commented, “No one believed this would occur, yet it ultimately did.”

Pesic stressed that the team never undervalued Finland’s capabilities. “We did not underestimate Finland; they are a very strong team. What decided the game was their offensive rebounds. Finland deserved this victory; it was an exciting contest. If anyone thinks we looked down on our opponents, that is clearly not true.”

“We fully understand Finland’s style—they play with high energy, shoot accurately, and are the best rebounding team in this tournament. Tonight, they grabbed 20 offensive rebounds,” Pesic continued. “We never found a way to limit their offensive boards, which was a crucial factor in the game. Even though Finland’s overall shooting percentage was only 41%, they still scored 92 points. This highlights the importance of offensive rebounds and gave them great confidence.”

The 76-year-old veteran coach also pointed out a key issue the team faced throughout the tournament—physical conditioning.

“We can make various excuses, but the fact is, at this level of competition, you must have superior physical fitness,” Pesic admitted. “We failed to achieve that. Several players were playing through injuries, and the team also dealt with viral infections—some players were sick, and Nikola Jovic couldn’t even train.”

“These aren’t excuses, but when you face a team like Finland in such a tournament, your body must be stronger. It’s not that the players didn’t try—theoretically, everyone could have done more, but in reality, they didn’t.”

Pesic added, “Everyone saw us as clear favorites to win the championship, while Finland played without pressure—whether they made or missed shots, they had no psychological burden. This situation is common and has happened before.”

In conclusion, Pesic admitted the team lacked aggressiveness during the game, especially on defense.

“Whether in one-on-one defense or team defense, we fell short. Although in some games we had strong defensive phases that boosted our confidence, tonight you saw how tough defense was. But we must acknowledge the players gave their all.”

“Of course, losing a game is never due to a single reason; it’s usually the result of multiple factors. But I can say one thing everyone noticed: we only controlled the rebounds and balanced the score in the second quarter, which was the only quarter we won—and that was the key to the game. After that, we couldn’t maintain that level, and that’s why we lost,” Pesic summarized.

Nikola Jovic also spoke at the post-match official press conference, attempting to analyze the team’s on-court problems.

“First of all, congratulations to Finland; they played very well. We never got into the game from the start,” Jovic emphasized. “We started badly. This poor form began with me, the youngest player—I wasn’t ready from the opening tip, and others were affected afterward. Like the coach said, the opponent grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, which is completely unacceptable.”

“We knew how Finland would play and prepared thoroughly by watching many game videos, but in the end, they played better and had a physical edge,” the 22-year-old Jovic added. “They took 13 more shots than us; although their shooting percentage wasn’t very high, they simply took more attempts.”

“Finland is a more aggressive team, and currently, their mindset is more humble. Sigh, what can you say? These things happen. We know our own strength and Finland’s quality, but we just weren’t ready from the start of the game.”

In this match, Jovic scored 20 points for Serbia; his teammate, three-time NBA regular-season MVP Nikola Jokic, performed excellently with 33 points and 8 rebounds on 9-of-13 shooting. Together, the two “Nikolas” combined for 53 points, nearly 60% of Serbia’s total 86 points, but their efforts still weren’t enough to secure victory.

In the 2022 EuroBasket, Serbia’s men’s team was also eliminated in the Round of 16, losing 86-94 to Italy at that time.