Discover the tops and flops after the qualification of the Blues for the semi-finals of EuroBasket 2022 at the expense of Italy (93-85 ap) Wednesday, in Berlin.
With these Blues, you have to have a strong heart. Well in place in the first period, they took the broth and put Italy back in the saddle this Wednesday, in Berlin, in the quarter-finals of the EuroBasket. Led by seven points two minutes from the end of regulation time, they finally found a way to win (93-85 ap), taking advantage of two missed shots by Simone Fontecchio. Miraculous, again.
TOPS
Heurtel, indisputable man of the match
Admittedly, he lost three balloons. We will forgive him. Thomas Heurtel pulled out all the stops at the end of the fourth quarter and in overtime to get the Blues out of trouble against Italy. The former Real player finished with 20 points and 8 assists in 32 minutes of play. People who know me know that I love these moments, and I’m not afraid to take responsibility. We had our best offensive player on the bench with five fouls, Evan Fournier. I tried to take matters into my own hands“, Analyzes the interested party, on Canal +. “Seen from the bench, we were convinced that it was to him that returned the last balls and the creation, even before Evan had five faults. We felt that he had the upper hand», Note for his part Vincent Collet, while Fournier sees in him «man of the match“. “Thomas took big shots and held the ball well. He is our leader and creator. We need him in this role because he is alone compared to previous years“, adds the blue captain. And to conclude: He has a big pair of blotches“. Very big. This was needed on Wednesday.
Gobert size pattern
Bis repeated for Rudy Gobert, with another decisive tap in the last moments of regulation time, as against Turkey in the round of 16. The Minnesota center finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Above all, his +/- displays +20, the most consistent in the tricolor ranks ahead of Terry Tarpey (+18). Aggressive, he made the Italians pay for their lack of size and muscle in the racket, even if France was dominated in offensive rebounds.
A heart that big
A miracle against Turkey. Another against Italy. Beyond the flaws that put them in the hole, the French showed exceptional strength of character to reverse the situation. “I don’t believe in luck. When you’re at -7 two minutes from the end, it doesn’t take luck to get there. You have to make stops and you have to score. And that’s what we managed to do“, notes Gobert, quoting coach Collet by saying that the France team had “heart and balls“. “It was war… We knew it, we didn’t give up, we like to be scared… It was incredible! He still dropped two throws (Fontecchio after Osman, see elsewhere, Editor’s note). We didn’t give up, we stayed focused. This victory is really good“Blows Gershon Yabusele (15 pts, 7 rebs). “There is something that cannot be taken away from this team, it is determination. We never give up. Even in bad shape, we try to get out of it sums up Vincent Collet. The story of the glass half full or half empty… In the meantime, the French team is in the semi-finals of the EuroBasket for the fourth time in the last five editions. Not bad…
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Yabusele, “TLC”, Tarpey: solid lieutenants
Gershon Yabusele and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot did well in scoring with three over-converted shots apiece. 15 points for the first, against 13 for the second. The first-named also grabbed 7 rebounds and had a definite impact. Speaking of impact, Terry Tarpey lands there, with 8 points and 8 rebounds in 35 minutes. Le Manceau continues to impress in its starting role. Good pick.
FLOPS
The blow of the breakdown, again
An air of déjà vu… The Blues were in control in the first period, with up to 11 points in advance, and which collapse after the break. Italy, euphoric, won the third quarter 31-18 and had a 7-point lead with 2 minutes remaining in regulation time. Still these ball losses (18), but that’s not all. “Every time we get in the hole», plague Timothé Luwawu-Carrot. “We lose balls, we let them gain confidence. We are disunited, that’s twice. That’s our big problem, when we start winning, we start wanting to do things for ourselves. We forget the teammates next door. Then in defense, we disunite because the attack frustrates us“Adds the NBAer, also the author of 13 points.
Fontecchio crucifies Italy
With 21 points, Simone Fontecchio played her role perfectly, alongside the excellent Marco Spissu (21 pts), already a hero against Serbia in the 8th round. Alas, he also cost his team the victory by missing two shots 16 seconds from the end of regulation time, while the Italians were leading 77-75. He also missed the double win at the buzzer, allowing the French to afford an unexpected extension. So near, so far…
Read also“Heart and balls”: Gobert and the Blues in heaven after qualifying for the EuroBasket semi-finals
Fournier in chiaroscuro
The entries of Mous Fall (1 pt) and Vincent Poirier (0 pt) were not brilliant. The Elie Okobo bet (0 pt) was useless. But we can also point the finger at Evan Fournier’s air hole. Certainly, the captain of the Blues started very strong, with 9 of the first 11 points of the team. He then took a technique. Curtain. He didn’t score again until the second half. Fournier, who forced the shots for a long time despite Italy’s attentive defense, finished on 17 points after taking his fifth foul in overtime and driving in a decisive basket in overtime, but he failed during that infamous start to the second half. from France. Symbol. “Like this team, I started well and after that, I had a hole in the air. The game is stagnant, I force situations a bit and I no longer have any skill. It’s a bit of a vicious circle“, he slips. Three stray balls for the New York player, one less than Gobert, “record man” of the day.