PARIS – On paper, the United States has a better Olympic basketball team than France.
So did Canada and Germany. It didn’t matter.
If the Americans reach the gold medal game on Saturday, they should prepare to face a wild, physical and at times dysfunctional French team cheered on by a loud crowd here at Bercy Arena.
The French defeated Germany 73-69 on Thursday to reach the final of the Olympics. They did so in the same way they defeated a more talented Canadian team on Tuesday: They overwhelmed their opponent and used several players at crucial moments.
The United States survived a scare against Serbia on Thursday night to play a repeat of the gold medal game three years ago in Tokyo.
“If we can play like that, with heart and head, we can achieve anything,” said Frenchman Frank Ntilikina.
NBA fans might expect the French team to be led by Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama. However, that is not the case.
Gobert is a minor player here and only played 5:09 against Germany after playing 3:41 against Canada. Gobert said it was because of finger surgery, but the French coach doubted that. The team is playing well without him.
Wemby, on the other hand, plays more and creates chaos on the court with his 7’4″ frame, but he doesn’t shoot well. He scored 11 points but made only 4 of 17 shots. The team didn’t run through him, although he made one of two free throws with 10.2 seconds left, causing France to lose the game on fouls.
Instead, the hero was Guerschon Yabusele, a 6-foot-8, 270-pound behemoth who failed with the Boston Celtics and now plays for Real Madrid in the Spanish league. He scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and played relentlessly tough on both ends of the court.
Or maybe it was his partner in crime at defensive end, the 6’1″ and 255lbs Greek League forward Mathias Lessort, who played hard to secure ten points and four rebounds.
Or maybe it was Isaïa Cordinier from the Italian league, who shone with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Or maybe it’s just a style of play that has the Germans and Canadians off balance. The intensity of the defense is incredible. Against Germany, they blocked five shots and made six turnovers. The physicality pushes even FIBA to its limits.
“They came out as attackers and hit us in the face,” said Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after the loss to France on Tuesday. “They played with more force. They were the attackers on both ends of the field.”
The offense is inconsistent in both passing and shooting, but it’s hard to compete against it.
The French find a way to make the game ugly and then win that way. That’s the style. That’s the system.
“We thought we were the better team,” said German Andreas Obst. “But hats off to France, they were the better team today.”
It works, spurred on by a singing, dancing, flag-waving, drum-beating home crowd. Considering the colors of the uniforms and the unwavering vocal support of the chants, this might as well be Allen Fieldhouse on the Seine.
“An incredible, incredible moment,” Wembanyama said of the crowd. “The fans made it hard for me not to cry. I thank them for being who they are and for enjoying it so much – this opportunity, this thing that we are all experiencing.”
That cocktail led to a surprise win over Canada. And then again when he beat Germany in one of the better basketball games you’ve ever seen.
There is still the possibility of a mega surprise.
Team USA would have many advantages in a possible duel for the gold medal.
But they better be prepared for a stone fight.
