Germany at the Basketball World Cup: Be like water, friends

Germany’s women have kept their Basketball World Cup quarterfinal hopes alive after a disastrous start against Spain. Their turnaround has followed a shift in mindset, with coach Olaf Lange’s admiration for Bruce Lee providing an apt metaphor.

Before the tournament, Lange described how he wanted his team to play by quoting the martial arts star: “Be like water, my friend.” Water always finds a way through, regardless of its surroundings.

Lange, 54, likes the idea of complete adaptability. Applied to basketball, it means trusting that the German national team can find a way to play its way out of difficulty when pressure rises.

That approach finally worked at this home World Cup over the weekend, after almost everything had gone wrong at the beginning. Germany’s improved performance has given the team another chance of reaching the quarterfinals.

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Be like water, my friend.