with four seconds to go, after Šarūnas Jasikevičius made two free-throws. Despite the difficult start, then Lithuanians showed a much improved game in the following group stage matches, overcoming Israel (94–62) and Germany (93–71). Concerns were raised once defending World and European champions Serbia and Montenegro (former Yugoslavia) were set as the quarterfinal opponents. The Lithuanians still prevailed, already achieving a 30–19 advantage in the first quarter (30–19), and never giving any chances in a 98–82 victory. Serbian coach Božidar Maljković followed the match by saying that "Lithuania plays the best team-play in this championship. The victory over Serbia was a splendid result achieved by the tremendous players, capable of playing like a sustainable derivative. <...> Lithuanians are playing fast, interesting and tactically matured basketball. The game is the best I have observed in this championship. By game-play, Lithuania is only worth gold". Semi-finals against France were next. Lithuanians won the first three quarters, and then in the last one the French squad came in ahead (60–58), and were leading by 70–65 with three minutes remaining. More struggles later, Lithuania were ahead, 72–70, with 15 seconds remaining. A final attack by the French NBA star Tony Parker was stopped by Ramūnas Šiškauskas, who added two more free throw points and gave the Neman river nation their fourth EuroBasket final ever, as well as an automatic spot in the 2004 Summer Olympics. Exhausted by the game versus France, the Lithuanians still had to prove themselves in the final against Spain. And while the first quarter was played equally (20–19), afterwards the Lithuanians dominated and never gave the Spanish any chance. Lithuania won their third European title 93–84 after a 64-year hiatus. Šarūnas Jasikevičius was named MVP, and was included along with Saulius Štombergas in the All-Tournament Team. The word about the Lithuanians triumph spread wide. The defeated Spanish of El Mundo considered that "the good Spanish mood, accuracy and the joy of the game evaporated in front of the Lithuania national team victory desire", and El Periódico de Catalunya added that "when Lithuania was leading 62–48, what the Spanish players wished the most was to end the game and to head into the locker rooms just to finish this suffering." In Italy, Tuttosport described the victorious squad as "a true Lithuania national team. Without NBA stars.", while La Gazzetta dello Sport noted how "there is no other country in the Old