France has qualified for the semifinals of the Basketball World Cup after their 89 to 79 victory against the Americans.
French basketball players achieved a historic feat by beating the Americans in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, 89-79, Wednesday 11th September 2019, in Dongguan (China), where they opened the doors to an even bigger dream, the medal Golden.
While there was no LeBron James, Steph Curry or Kawhi Leonard in this Team USA, but the prowess is still huge. This is the first time that France dominates a team 100% NBA. No nation has been able to do this in a major official competition since 2006.
Mo-nu-men-tal ! Quel exploit de la France qui élimine les Etats-Unis ! 🇫🇷
Les meilleurs moments du match sur @myCANAL > https://t.co/6QobgEvaNY#USAFRA #FIBAWC @FRABasketball @CanalplusBasket pic.twitter.com/RL4bVUJAlU
— CANAL+ (@canalplus) 11 September 2019
France qualified for the Olympics!
“It’s just amazing! Andrew Albicy, the leader, responded with the victory also synonymous with qualifying for the 2020 Olympics, thanks to Australia’s victory over the Czech Republic in the last quarter.
#FIBAWC ! 🏆💪 Gobert :”C’est à nous de bien se préparer et nous concentrer pour l’Argentine” pic.twitter.com/w7rYxQRIZp
— CANAL+ Basket (@CanalplusBasket) 11 September 2019
But a few minutes after the match, the tone was already euphoria. France has immediately turned to their semi-final against Argentina, Friday in Beijing. A match that requires all the more concentration from them as they will be the big favourites, “said captain Nicolas Batum.
“I said to the guys, “No joy, we do not show anything, because we did not do anything. We made a big quarter against a huge team, we did a feat, but we do not have a medal around the neck. We can be happy but at midnight one minute, we go to Argentina.”
All alumni think of the previous World Cup, in 2014. The French team had already made a fabulous blow by eliminating the big Spain in front of its public, but it had lost in the semi-final against Serbia. She reacted then to take the bronze medal, the first in the history of French basketball in a World Cup.
Rudy Gobert monumental
Nobody spoke about the Olympics either, and yet the ticket for Tokyo-2020, main goal before the tournament, is in the pocket thanks to the success of the Australians on the Czechs (82-70). France is one of only two European nations in the last four with Spain , and as such qualified.
Against the United States, the Blues have made an almost perfect match. Only a slump at the end of 3 e quarter-time and early fourth was a shudder in the back. While they had ten points, they found themselves behind seven to eight minutes from the end. It was there that they showed an impressive mental strength to come back and go again.
#USAFRA #FIBAWC Fournier : “on a défendu comme des chiens” pic.twitter.com/UQi4zQkTee
— CANAL+ Basket (@CanalplusBasket) 11 September 2019
“It’s our c … who spoke, we must say things as they are,” said Evan Fournier, again the best French scorer with 22 points.
“But it was not only mental. There was also our game intelligence on the end that made the difference.”
The big man of the match was Rudy Gobert. Impassable in defence, but also extremely enterprising in the attack, the pivot of Utah Jazz signed a line of monumental stats: 21 points, 16 rebounds, 10 faults!
Collective strength
The French made their collective force speak to a team that was still formidable on paper, with two All Star, leader Kemba Walker and winger Khris Middleton, and a great hope of the NBA, back Donovan Mitchell , who was the only one to ask them big problems (29 points, but none in the last quarter).
After the release against Australia (defeat 100-98 Monday), the Blues have all defended strong. The prize goes to Frank Ntilikina, the leader of the New York Knicks, who extinguished Walker and put 11 points in attack, including important baskets late in the game. De Colo was also neat and precise with 18 points (including 11 in the fourth quarter).
#USAFRA #FIBAWC Ntilikina : “on voulait se racheter du match face à l’Australie” pic.twitter.com/E0Ot69SQPg
— CANAL+ Basket (@CanalplusBasket) 11 September 2019
“These Americans is a very strong team individually, but who has no experience. We play against these guys all the time. We showed them they were players like us. We had a team match, “said Fournier, one of four NBA Frenchmen with Batum, Ntilikina and Gobert.
“But if we lose the last few matches, we go back to Paris with nothing,” added the back of Orlando immediately, to cut short any runaway.
