After dreaming of world gold, the French basketball team fell from top, Friday, crushed in the semi-finals by Argentina, who will challenge Spain for the title.
Did they fly too close to the sun after winning the stars by winning against the Americans? The French basketball team fell sharply from its cloud Friday, Sept. 13, losing in the semifinals of the World Cup against Argentineans raging (80-66). Those who dreamed aloud of gold will have to fight, Sunday, for the bronze medal.
"They got us inside and we never knew how to answer. Neither in attack nor in defense. " Passed by his match, like the majority of his teammates, Nicolas Batum did not miss his analysis, hot, of the meeting. Suspicious of the Argentine trap that stood in front of them after their prestigious victory against the defending American world champions, the Blues fell in their heads first.
And the fall is tough, especially since they said they were warned. "We thought we were ready, they were so much more than us"continued the French captain. The same Batum who repeated to his partners the bitter memory of the semi-final of the 2014 World Cup, lost after having achieved a feat in the previous lap. Jostled by the Facundo Campazzo-Luis Scola duo, the Blues proved unable to repeat their aggressive opening match. And sank, physically, tactically and mentally dominated by an incandescent Albiceleste.
The Blues drained by Scola
However, the Argentines had played cards on the table. " We are so competitive that we love to win, and the only way to fight is to play extremely smartly. "assured their coach Sergio Hernandez before the match. Easier said than done. And in terms of intelligence, the eternal Luis Scola offered a recital, swaying the French defense.
With 28 points and 13 rebounds, the last survivor of the "Generacion dorada" Argentina, Olympic champion in Athens in 2004, offered a dante performance to lead her team to victory. Aged 39, the interior rang the charge, well supported by the elusive Campazzo at the leads.
Caught in the Argentine nets, the Blues have never seemed able to reverse the trend. Because they fished in what was successful. The best team in the three-point competition so far (with nearly 45% success), France sank behind the line, scoring only seven of its thirty-one attempts.
Unable to find Rudy Gobert, so domineering in the racket against the Americans, not converting their shots – like Evan Fournier, offensive leader, suddenly, sluggish – and lacking in discernment, the Blues have offered Albiceleste sticks to be beaten.
"We did not deserve to win"
If Vincent Collet rose again against the long travels through the immense Middle Kingdom and the day of rest in less than his team, his captain did not want to excuse the performance of his own. "There is no excuse for travel or fatigue: they made the same trip as we did yesterday, we flew with them"Nicolas Batum said, more lucid at the microphone than on the floor. The French misfires – free throws or three-pointers – can not escape on the pretext of fatigue.
Only to survive, Franck Ntilikina scored baskets of hope with regularity on Friday (16 points), but the one that makes 20 years for Luis Scola has not yet the shoulders to carry his team to victory. Directly qualified for the Olympics next year, the France team fell from above the fatal Friday 13, failing the doors of the final of a major competition for the sixth time in its history. But the final gap prevents it from having too much to think about. "The Argentinians made a great match and we do not deserve to win," summed up the leader of the Knicks.
Argentina is back in the final, seventeen years after its heartbreak in the 2002 World Cup final, after being beaten by Serbia after extra time. With Luis Scola, already present in Indianapolis, for hyphen. Opposed to Spain, where the majority of their team evolves, Argentinian mission aspire to offer their captain the world title that is missing from his list.
" It's incredible, breathed Scola, when my teammates (from the golden generation) have left the selection, I did not think I could relive that. " After seeing Argentina shred their golden dreams, the Blues will have to fight for bronze, Sunday against Australia (10 hours, French time). "A bronze medal, even if we already had it, it's unique"said Rudy Gobert.
