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Even though Terry Tarpey intercepted the victory ball, the hero of the evening is called Rudy Gobert. The French simply had his best game in selection with 20 points and 17 rebounds, including 7 offensive. Never had a French player taken so many rebounds.
We forgive him the two missed throws at the end. We forgive him this half-dozen 3-points taken on the truffle. We forgive him because we will never thank him enough for this huge dunk tap that sends the Blues into overtime, then all these offensive rebounds in overtime.
Never “Gobzilla” has ever deserved this nickname so much, and he returns to this monstrous tap dance.
“When I saw Evan leave, I said to myself: either he will put it, or I will have the rebound” tells the pivot of the Blues. “And when I saw it was going to be short, I prepared to finish. I knew they were going to make a mistake, and they made a mistake. And I knew they weren’t going to whistle, so we had to finish strong, and I was lucky to be able to finish. “
“Personally, I thought it was over”
Then there is this extension where Gobert will dominate the air like never before: 5 points and 5 rebounds in five minutes. All the rebounds, or almost, are for him. An extension that he would never have imagined playing!
“We thought it was over. Personally, I thought it was over” he admits. “They gave us a chance. They missed two free throws and had to take what there was to take. Once there was overtime, we knew it would be five minutes of combat. “
A physical but also mental battle. The Blues were at the bottom of the hole. The Turks already saw themselves in the quarter. But Gobert was there to give this boost.
“If I don’t believe in myself, who will? ” he smiles at the microphone of Canal +. “But I don’t just believe in myself. I believe in the team. I believe in a group, and we didn’t work so hard to lose in 1/8. In life, you have to fight until the end, and when you have a chance, you have to take it. “