Dennis Schroder leads Germany to first World Cup gold medal - ESPN

MANILA, Philippines — Four years ago, German basketball wasn't in the best place. Dirk Nowitzki had retired; Germany had missed the Olympics altogether in 2016, and at the last FIBA World Cup, it was a distant and disappointing 18th.

The Germans' journey from there is what made standing on the stage receiving their first World Cup gold Sunday all the more meaningful after they completed a perfect tournament with an 83-77 victory over Serbia.

Behind Canadian head coach Gordie Herbert, firebrand point guard Dennis Schroder and the next great German NBA star Franz Wagner, the team went 8-0 in Manila. It is the middle of a three-year plan that started last year with an impressive bronze at the highly regarded EuroBasket and will take the team into Paris for next year's Olympics as a real contender.

Schroder had 28 points as he led a high-speed attack that makes the Germans a variation on the typical European power. They have a line of excellent big men, including NBA players Moritz Wagner and Daniel Theis. But Schroder's speed with the ball and ability to collapse defenses tirelessly are invaluable weapons at this level.

He did it to the Serbians, who took silver for the second time in the past decade, throughout the game. Pushing the tempo, probing and hunting shots repeatedly led to good things for his team.

The one that will be remembered for a while came with 21 seconds left in the game. Schroder got the ball with his team up just two points and maximum pressure. He held up his hand, indicating he had it, and within a split second was a blur going to the hoop.

When he put the ball off the glass and into the hoop a moment later, it was the separation Germany needed. Around the play, he made three clutch free throws to