the Blues of basketball in the final

France's Nando De Colo (R) shoots the ball past his teammate Evan Fournier in the men's semi-final basketball match between France and Slovenia during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama on August 5, 2021. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP)

They will have survived the unbreathable. At the end of the fight, after a thrilling game in the empty Saitama arena, the French men’s basketball team qualified, Thursday August 5, for the third Olympic final in its history, taking the best of Slovenia. , from star Luka Doncic (90-89).

“Luka Doncic, for Slovenia, it’s a horseshoe, analyzed before the match Frédéric Weis, former pivot of the Blues who became a Eurosport consultant. It happens: they are European champions. He’s coming back: they’re at the Games. There it is: they are in the semi-finals ”.

Asked before the competition, the silver medalist of the Sydney Olympics felt the arrival of the Balkan team. “With Doncic, this team is so confident and can beat anyone. ” Above all, the Dallas Mavericks superstar had never lost in the national jersey, in 17 games.

The Slovenian “wonder kid” (22 years old) didn’t wait to show off. After five minutes of warming up, Doncic warms up. Twice three stitches in a row to set the scene. The leader does not forget his partners.

Well served by Doncic, Mike Tobey dunke in the heart of the blue racket. The one who declared, after the match against Spain “A few months ago, I didn’t even know how to locate Slovenia on a map”, continues its high-flying tournament. Naturalized just before the summer – without ever having played in his new country – the Slovenian-American has joined the collective of the Balkan team and is taking advantage of the attention paid to Doncic to carry out a construction site. inside.

The profusion of Slovenian shooters

But after having undergone the first Slovenian wave as spectators, the Blues closed the door. Rough in defense and not hesitating to physically abuse Luka Doncic – who does not appreciate the treatment -, the teammates of a Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot in shooting success (10 points at the break) return to the game after having counted eight disbursement points. Only two points separate the two teams at the end of the first quarter.

After the quarter-final won against Italy (85-74), Vincent Collet compared the game of the Botte team to that of the Balkan country. “There are a lot of similarities, with a very wide game, and the desire to attract our grown-ups away from the basket. “ By preventing that the difficulty would be increased by one – or more – notch, “Because the playmaker is exceptional and requires already being particularly focused on him, but without letting go of others. “

Slovenia has a profusion of shooters capable of sanctioning at three points. “They are never the same, but between Dragic, Blazick, Kankar, we know that there are snipers”, warned the coach. With good reason: the teammates of Klemen Prepelic are articulating.

Reassured in defense, France takes its ease in attack. Several high altitude blocks from Rudy Gobert prevent the Slovenes from sneaking and carried by the energy of Luwawu-Cabarrot, as well as by the points of Nando De Colo and Evan Fournier, the Blues take up to 10 lengths of advance in a game in slow motion, more at their own pace – that of the tournament’s best defense.

“Stop making the mistakes of the past”

But the teammates of Luka Doncic, transformed into a playing master, did not arrive at this stage of the competition by chance. Angrily, Mike Tobey and his family returned and took advantage of a shower of French faults to equalize, five minutes from the end of the match. In the money time, while spirits are heating up, Nando De Colo then Evan Fournier put the Blues back forward.

Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot and Klemen Prepelic answer each other on three points, as the seconds go by. Thirty seconds from the end, a point separates the two teams. Deprived of Evan Fournier, released for a fifth fault on a passage in force, the Blues hold until the end and win (90-89).

“How far are we able to go? I don’t think about that. I no longer want to make the mistakes of the past ”, launched Evan Fournier after the quarter-final. Twice at the World Cup (2015 and 2019), the Blues achieved a major performance – elimination of Spain at home and then the United States -, but they projected themselves too much, and suffered in the following match.

“A semi-final is cool, but it’s a semi-final. “ Twice, but not three, the Blues have paid to learn. Saturday, at 11 am (4 am in Paris), they will be in the Olympic final, 21 years after the Blues of Antoine Rigaudeau. The Americans are waiting for them firmly, scalded by their defeat in the opening match. But after planing the Slovenian Triglav, the France team has Olympus in sight.

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