Slovenia's basketball players speak highly of their captain. "We all know what kind of player Goran is, and the role he plays in this team. He's special. He plays at a very high level and has shown that he is one of the best individuals at the championship. A real leader and we're happy that he's with us. He gives us a lot, not just points, but he leads us and makes us play as a team. He's a real captain and we can all learn a lot from him," said the second best scorer and another key player in the national team, Luka Dončić. The starting center, Gašper Vidmar, who also has excellent chemistry with Dragić, added: "Match after match we see that Goran is the real leader and captain of the team, and the rest of us just follow."

Dragić continues to thrill from one match to another. With an average of 24 points he is currently the top scorer of the tournament. He has scored at least 20 points in every match. In the opening match he scored 30 points. He was also excellent in Slovenia's last match of the group stage in Helsinki, when he added another 8 assists and ended the match with an index rating +27 – the highest in the match. "We started well and finished the first half with a high lead. I gave a speech in the locker room that we had to react well coming back out on the court. The French did try to threaten us, but we calmed them down and deservedly won the match," said Dragić. As he was leaving the court Slovenia's fans started chanting "MVP, MVP!".

Real teams win
"It's no small thing to beat the French, regardless of the fact that they played without Parker, Batum and Gobert. They still play at the highest level but real teams win in the end. We played phenomenal defense, we closed them off well and put them under pressure," stressed the 31-year-old native of Ljubljana, describing Slovenia's style of team play. And Goran is the strongest link in that team. Apart from playing great, you can also see that he really is enjoying the championship. He partied with Slovenia's fans in Helsinki, and even received the applause of Greek fans for his smiling reaction to some of their provocations during warm-up.

Goran seems relaxed but at the same time he is also highly focused on every match and on his end goal – the perfect retirement from national team competition. "This is my last championship. I work on myself, I motivate my teammates, scold them as well… You have to talk all the time and keep them in line, so that nobody falls asleep. Every attack and every defense, it's all very important. I try to be as focused as possible and sustain that line of perfection. So far, we're managing well. I feel good. During our preparation matches they talked that Dragić can't play. Look at him now … (laughter)," explained the Slovenian captain with a smile on his face.