In what was bound to be the toughest game of their first round group, Greece fell to a 79-78 loss to Brazil on Tuesday at the FIBA World Cup.
As a result, Greece will need to beat New Zealand to advance to the second round, and with points from the first round carrying over to that stage, they’re now already facing an uphill battle to reach the quarter finals.
It goes without saying that, in its own right, this result makes for one of the biggest stories of the World Cup to date, but its impact isn’t lessened by considering the primary contributing factor that can’t be overlooked in its aftermath.