What did Dirk Nowitzki think about the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament?

It wasn't easy.

"There was just a lot of pressure coming off after so many years of trying," the 30-year-old superstar said.

"We didn't make it to Sydney, we didn't make it to Athens."

But they have made it to Beijing, which is where Germany will be with five other European teams in the men's Olympic tournament this summer.

After this week's tournament in Athens, Germany discovered they will be in Group B with Angola, hosts China, world champions Spain, Team USA and Greece.

No, it's never easy for the Germans.

"I just heard the draw quickly and it is the toughest we could have gotten," Nowitzki said.

"But that's the Olympics and there are a lot of great teams playing. The dream was to get there and now, I can't wait to take part in it all; the parade, competing for my country and living in the Olympic Village."

There were so many things going through Nowitzki's head after the win.

Anyone in the Athens Olympic (OAKA) arena won't soon forget what he looked like.

He walked off the court, a towel over his head, to collect his thoughts before meeting with his teammates and celebrating in the locker room.

The seven-footer then returned to the arena and spoke to FIBA Europe.

"What are you thinking about, Dirk?" we asked.

"A lot of emotions coming out after all the hard work we have put in over the years," he said.

"They (my teammates) all worked very hard. It's an amazing feeling, I can't really describe it."

"What's it like playing for Germany, Dirk, after long and hard NBA seasons?" we asked.

"It's tough, especially here that the teams are so good right now, it's very physical over here," he said.

"It's always tough to come back and perform but I work out a lot and help my team. This is a dream of mine and of my team-mates."

One thing that Nowitzki stressed after the game was that it's never been all about him.

Playing for Germany has been about the team, and all the players he has grown up with.

"They hung in there with me over the years," Nowitzki said.

"We took some disappointments, we had some tough losses over the years but we stayed positive, kept coming back for more and put a lot of sweat and hours on for this.

"They definitely, all of them, deserve it. I am proud of all of them and we are going to enjoy it tonight."