After a mixed group stage, the French players are getting down to business in Berlin, with their first knockout match. For this 1/8 final, stand against France, Turks diminished without Shane Larkin, but valiant and not to be underestimated for all that. The trap match par excellence…
For once in this EuroBasket, the French team is off to a good start, in all respects. The Blues are focused defensively, and sharp offensively. Opposite, the Turks are in great difficulty in attack, with a 2/11 on shots to start, and more broadly a 5/19 in the first quarter. The absence of Shane Larkin at the head of Ergin Ataman’s attack is terribly felt. Despite six lost balls in the first ten minutes, Vincent Collet’s men are quite comfortably in the lead after the first quarter (18-11).
A perfect start
Subsequently, the French substitutes take over: good passages from Thomas Heurtel and Vincent Poirier allow France to sign a first major break at +16 at the start of the second quarter, while Guerschon Yabusele gradually rises in power. We then say to ourselves that this match could well be a formality…
Except that France, true to form, is still not able to maintain the same level of consistency, and then suddenly loses its momentum at the end of the first half. Losses of ball, ailments it seems incurable for the French troops this year, continue to accumulate (eleven in the first period). And Turkey, which finds a semblance of address, benefits from it. After three winning shots in a row, the Turks returned to -7 (40-33) a few seconds from the break!
On returning from the locker room, we understand that the bad patch at the end of the first period is obviously not just temporary, and that the evil is deep…
The Turks catch fire at 3-point
The French are completely off the mark in the third quarter: six poor little points scored in ten minutes, and worries about lost balls which continue to ruin everything (18 in 30 minutes). Worse, Turkey is blazing offensively on its side, reinvigorated by a suddenly flamboyant exterior address, and notably plants a huge 19-0 to complete the third quarter. From 49-38 for France, we go to 57-49 for Turkey after half an hour of play!!
Fortunately, the Blues are violent when starting the last act, and return without delay to a unit of their opponents (60-59). There are almost eight minutes left to play, but it’s already “money-time”… Because the crossover continues until the last seconds… and it’s France who cracks first, when Evan Fournier, ball of the potential wins in the hands, steps on the sideline, and loses possession.
A statue for Rudy Gobert
On the free throw line, Furkan Korkmaz assures, and we think then that the qualification is acquired for Turkey… Except that this match is a Hollywood film: after two missed free throws by Cedi Osman following an unsportsmanlike foul by Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot and an improbable loss of ball by the Turkish players, Rudy Gobert equalized a few seconds later on a tap-dunk, and France managed to snatch the extension!
The French pivot is even the MVP of the extension, during which he crushes the Turkish paint, powerless. He misses two crucial free throws in the very last moments, but Terry Tarpey saves him the bet, on the next possession, with a grandiose interception to validate the victory (87-86). Badly embarked at the end of the game, the Blues are well qualified for the 1/4 finals, at the end of this match with a completely crazy scenario… It will be against Serbia or Italy, and it will be Wednesday evening.
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