Ex-Celtics Guard Makes Bold Claim After Shocking FIBA World Cup Upset

Former Celtics guard Dennis Schröder was understandably pumped after leading Germany to a stunning FIBA World Cup win over the United States on Friday.

But did Schröder get a tad bit ahead of himself?

After leading the Germany squad with a 38-point, 11-assist double-double that also included nine rebounds, Schröder capped off a disappointing bid from the United States squad with strongly-worded claim afterward, that came in the moment.

“My team is extremely awesome,” Schröder said following Germany’s 113-111 victory over Team USA, according to BasketNews.com. “I think this is the best team I’ve ever been on, whether it’s the NBA or the national team.”

The best? That might be a stretch.

Sure, Germany’s win was entertaining, shocking, thrilling and lived up to the hype that it’s garnered ever since the final buzzer sounded. However, that’s a fringe USA squad that featured not a single multi-time All-Star in the starting lineup. It wasn’t a star-studded team, albeit disappointing in terms of the end result, and still not good enough to be deemed a sure-thing roster.

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During his second year in the NBA, Schröder played for the Hawks while Atlanta set a franchise record in wins, going 60-22 to lead the Eastern Conference as the No. 1 seed — seven games ahead of the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers.

That Hawks team shot 38% from beyond the arc, only second to the (67-15) Golden State Warriors for the league lead. Therefore, Atlanta that season is more suitable for the “best” team that Schröder’s played on throughout his 10-year career.

Schröder also played for the Celtics in 2021-22 when they made it to the NBA Finals, but was traded to the Houston Rockets mid-season.

With a shot at taking home the FIBA World Cup title, Schröder has no shortage of confidence heading into the winner-take-all battle with Serbia.

“When we do our things and execute, we can beat any team,” Schröder explained. “Of course, winning against the USA is very, very cool, but we still have one game, and we still have to stay focused and play against a strong Serbia team on Sunday.”