Germany will join the cutthroat Olympic group B

(BEIJING, July 23)-- The last game of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men saw Germany take the last slot for the Beijing Games by defeating Puerto Rico 96-82, thanks to Dirk Nowitzki’s excellent performance and game-high 32 points.

The other two berths won in this tournament went to Greece and Croatia.

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) announced the qualification schedule for the Beijing Olympic Games. Croatia will play in Group A, with Germany and Greece competing in Group B.

In group B, World ninth-ranked Germany will face tough competitors.

Spain, the winner of the most recent World Championship who also finished second among 16 teams at the 2007 EuroBasket Championship.

Greece is the 2005 European Champion and got second place at the World Championship in 2006.

The United States team is looking to Beijing for a chance to return to the "Dream Team" era of US international basketball dominance, and by all accounts Team USA’s preparation and attitude have both improved dramatically since the Athens Games.

Angola is the 2007 Africa Champion, and defeated China when they faced off in the Stankovic Cup in Hangzhou on July 19. This result no doubt worries host China, who would like to do well on their home court.

But advancing to the quarterfinals in the Olympics means getting in the top four of group B, which will be no easy task with this line-up of heavy-hitter teams.