HOUSTON (FIBA Basketball World Cup/EuroBasket 2015) - The near misses are not what Donatas Motiejunas envisioned for Lithuania when he joined the senior squad at EuroBasket 2013.

Not the jump shots or lay-ups, but being on the wrong end of the scoreline in big games.

Unfortunately, the 24-year-old has suffered near misses with his national team in each of the last two important events and both times, the side to beat them was France.

In Slovenia two years ago, the Lithuanians overcame a difficult start to reach the EuroBasket Final only to fall to Les Bleus.

Then at last year's FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, Lithuania disposed of Turkey to move within two victories of a championship and one of a medal, but got neither.

They fell to the USA in their Semi-Final and then suffered a narrow defeat to the French in the Third-Place Game, 95-93.

The setbacks will be at the front of all the players' thoughts when they join together at training camp later this year to prepare for EuroBasket 2015.

Even now, Motiejunas remembers how tough defeats spoiled what were otherwise solid tournaments.

"The team has played well in the last international competitions but we failed to reach the title," he said.

"The goal for us this year would be to fight for the title.

"We were frustrated to lose in the Final two years ago, and we would like to win a gold medal as soon as possible.

Like every other Lithuanian player, I dream of winning a title with my country. - Motiejunas

The last crown captured by the senior team was at EuroBasket 2003, when Sarunas Jasikevicius was the MVP.

Lithuania overcame France, 74-70, in the Semi-Final and then thumped an emerging powerhouse, Spain, 93-84.

This year, they have an intriguing start to the EuroBasket.

Lithuania will play their Group D games in Riga, against fellow Baltic sides Latvia, Estonia, as well as Ukraine, Belgium and the Czech Republic.

"The group is not the toughest one but we need to play every game at our best level in order to not be surprised by our opponents," Motiejunas said.

"Playing the first round games in Riga is great for us, as we are going to have a lot of fans coming from Lithuania.

"It is almost like playing at home, in front of our fans.

"It would be important to play well in the first round and gain a lot of confidence for the knockout stage."

The good news for Lithuania is that Motiejunas is receiving a lot of playing time this year with the Houston Rockets.

In his last 10 outings, the 2.13m power forward has averaged 13.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in more than 28 minutes per game.

In Houston, he is not only on a very good team, but Motiejunas has the opportunity from time to time to rub shoulders with legends like former Rocket, Hakeem Olajuwon.

"I am very happy to now be one of the most important players of the team," Motiejunas said.

"I have been working hard and even when I went through some difficult times, I never gave up."

Because Motiejunas was not an immediate hit in Houston, some wondered if he had the makings of a solid contributor.

I always knew that I could help the team and be a solid NBA player - Motiejunas

"I kept working hard and [coach] Kevin McHale gave me the opportunity to spend more time on the court since the beginning of the season.

"I am doing pretty well so far, but I also know that I have more work to do to become the best player I can be."

Motiejunas has the luxury of being on the court with one of the most exciting players in basketball, USA and Olympic champion James Harden.

He is a leading contender for the MVP award.

"James is such an amazing player," he said.

"He has been playing at an incredible level since the beginning of the season and he is showing that he is one of the NBA's finest players," Motiejunas said.

"His numbers are very good and he is unstoppable offensively. He has so many offensive skills and can score from anywhere he wants. It is great to have a teammate like him and he will help us have a successful season."

There is a long way to go before the playoffs but as things now stand, the Rockets are third in a very competitive Western Conference.

"Things have been going very well for us so far and the team is playing better than last year," Motiejunas said, "especially on the defensive end.

"We had some troubles defensively last season and we worked well in order to be more solid in that aspect of the game now.

"It was necessary to do so as we want to have a great season and fight for the title.

"We had a disappointing playoff campaign last year and we are not going to have the same kind of experience this season for sure."

If Motiejunas continues to play as well as he has this season, it will be a big boost for a Houston team that is striving to be the best.

FIBA