2014 FIBA World Cup: 10 major takeaways
By Bryce Olin
2. New Zealand does the haka in basketball
According to NewZealand.com, the haka is “ancient Māori war dance traditionally used on the battlefield, as well as when groups came together in peace.” I’ve seen football and rugby teams do the haka, but I had no idea it was a basketball thing. Apparently, neither did Andre Igoudala.
New Zealand thought they dance was gone intimidate us.... That ain't nothing but the A town stump! #GoUSA #FIBAWorldCup2014
— andre (@andre) September 2, 2014
Oklahoma City big man Steven Adams of New Zealand didn’t think too highly of Igoudala’s tweet:
"@andre show some respect for my culture. — Steven Adams (@RealStevenAdams) September 3, 2014"
Regardless of how you feel about Igoudala, Adams, or the haka, the reactions by some of the American players are awesome and priceless. They honestly had no idea what to do or how to react. Team USA jumped all over New Zealand to take a 32-point lead into halftime and eventual won by 27 points, but New Zealand definitely won the pregame warm-ups.
New Zealand finished fourth in Group C with a 2-3 record and faced Group D winner Lithuania in the Round of 16. In the game, New Zealand fell behind early but clawed their back in the second half. Lithuania, eventual fourth-place finisher, held on to win 76-71 in the game, and New Zealand was eliminated from the tournament.