France’s quarter final victory over hosts Spain will remain one of the most exciting games of this World Cup, and one of the biggest games in the history of French basketball. Tonight, however, France need to put that historic win to one side in order to fully focus on their semi-final against Serbia.
France Must Stay Focused in FIBA Semi-Final
Batum couldn’t have outlined the situation any better: “We need to forget about the quarter-final”. For France, the semi-final matchup against Serbia is one that they can control, but only if they keep their heads cool. Their incredible game against Spain is now the past, and France need to start from scratch tonight if they want to avoid getting over confident. Because of their victory against the hosts, who were expected to be Team USA’s main rivals, France have the hard burden of being seen as favorites in tonight’s game, despite Serbia’s impressive run so far: Fourth of their group, Serbia surprised Greece in the round of 16 before an incredible 84-56 win against Brazil (a team who had beaten them in the group stages). In their two knockout games Serbia have scored 174 points and only conceded 128, despite playing two sides of great quality.
Which only strengthens the idea that France need to avoid thinking about their one point victory against Serbia in the group stages. France should be able to understand that group stage wins aren’t that significant, as they are just coming off a 13 point win against a team who beat them by 24 points in the groups…
For that, France can count on their frames. Boris Diaw and Nicolas Batum, the two leaders of this relatively young squad, have taken to heart the mission of keeping this young, fiery roster calm and humble. The Spain game was make or break for France, and their victory has given this team, up until then often hesitant and disjointed, the confidence it needs to maybe go all the way. But that confidence mustn’t become arrogance. France need to play exactly like they did on Wednesday night- Strong on the boards, fluid on offense and aggressive of defense. Seeing France play as a team was just beautiful.
For Vincent Collet’s men, tonight’s game will be one of the most important of their international careers. France have never actually achieved a podium in a World Cup, and a win tonight would secure them at least a silver one. But they must stay focused on the task, and not look ahead too much. The winner of this game will face USA in the final, who comfortably advanced to the final with a 96-68 win against Lithuania last night. But France will have to cross the American bridge if they get there. First, they need to put their full attention on tonight’s 40 minutes of basketball, and not on anything else.
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Main Photo by DANI POZO/AFP/Getty Images
