ISTANBUL — An electric display of scoring by Slovenian captain Goran Dragic paved the way for his side's stunning 93-85 victory over neighbors Serbia as they were crowned Eurobasket champions for the first time after a thrilling final on Sunday.

Dragic, who plays for the NBA's Miami Heat, lit up the second period and finished the game with 35 points, seven rebounds and three assists in what is likely to be his final game for the national team, should he make good on his pledge to now step away from international basketball.

Thousands of fans traveled from the Balkans to turn the Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul into a cauldron of noise as two men's senior basketball teams from the former Yugoslavia met in a final for the first time.

With the referees content to allow plenty of physical contact, both teams opted for an attacking approach in the first quarter, trying to carve out openings around the basket.

Serbia led 22-20 at the end of the first period, but five quick Slovenian points caused them to take a quick time-out at the start of the second.

A superb break and dunk by Luka Doncic kept the Slovenian run going and the 31-year-old Dragic then caught fire, scoring freely and netting a pair of vital three-pointers to give his side a nine-point lead at half-time.

The Serbs were resurgent in the third, keeping their opponents scoreless for over three and a half minutes as they closed the gap to just a single point, leading Dragic to rally his teammates during a time-out.

His passionate words had the desired effect as Slovenia started to stretch their lead again. However, as the fourth quarter wore on Dragic tired noticeably and Serbia were able to take the lead halfway through the period.

As Dragic limped to the bench with an injury, Klemen Prepelic took over, grabbing rebounds and scoring two crucial free throws as Slovenia dug deep to take the lead again and seal a historic victory over their bitter rivals in their first major final.

Unsung hero Kokoskov

still humble after feat

Slovenia’s historic triumph at the European basketball championship left their coach Igor Kokoskov as the unsung hero after the Alpine country’s impressive 93-85 win over Serbia in a rip-roaring final in Istanbul.

Miami heat guard Goran Dragic grabbed all the headlines after what he said was his final international game but the Slovenians have as much to thank Serb exile Kokoskov.

The 45-year-old spent a solitary year in the 1990s as a senior head coach in his country at nondescript second-tier side OKK Belgrade before building a career as an assistant at six different NBA outfits, most recently the Utah Jazz.

Overlooked by Serbia’s ruling basketball echelons, Kokoskov learnt his trade across the Atlantic and applied it with such devastating effect against his compatriots, as the Slovenians capped a magnificent tournament with a 9-0 record.

They blew away 2015 champions Spain 92-72 in the semis before overpowering Serbia and Slovenia’s popular Ekipa sports website paid tribute to Kokoskov.

"Graceful and humble in victory as he’s always been, Kokoskov is a man of few words who came through with sheer hard work and deserves all the accolades as the greatest hero and creator of Slovenia's basketball success,” it said.

Having started as an assistant at the Los Angeles Clippers 2000-2003, Kokoskov spent the next five years at the Detroit Pistons before spells at the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orladno Magic.

Kokoskov took on a dual role as he transformed also-rans Georgia into a respectable side during his 2008-2015 spell at the former Soviet republic before he took over as Slovenia’s head coach last year.

Having arrived to the 24-nation Eurobasket 2017 as no more than one of many dark horses, the Slovenians romped to their first basketball podium finish as an independent nation and a first gold medal in any team sport.

Kokoskov heaped praise on his staff, the officials and players, who won the hearts of neutral fans with entertaining and free-flowing basketball instilled into the side by their American-styled coach.

"We had an incredible tournament and a memorable final which we will savour for the rest of our lives,” he told Ekipa.

"This is a fantastic achievement for Slovenian sport and the credit goes to everyone; the players the basketball association and also my assistants who did such a great job.” — Reuters