Opposed to Germany on their land for the opening match of EuroBasket 2022, the French team knew that they were facing a real challenge. Challenge that she failed to meet since the Blues fell from the start in a Lanxess Arena on fire. Already time to worry?
” There is a lot of work. » It is through these words that Rudy Gobert summed up EDF’s performance this Thursday evening following the opening match in Cologne. And we can only validate. Yes, there is work, a lot of work, especially when you know the upcoming program for the Blues. Germany, although playing in front of an enthusiastic crowd following the retirement of local legend Dirk Nowitzki, was only meant to be an aperitif before the big chunks of Lithuania and Slovenia. Of course the Blues were expecting real opposition, but we didn’t really think we’d take 15 points in the teeth to start the competition. And yet that is what happened. Weighed down by a tough attack for almost the entire evening, Vincent Collet’s band never really found the solutions to hope for anything else from this meeting. 38% shooting success, 33% at 3-point, eight free throws left on the way and especially 17 stray balls, difficult to win a basketball game when you waste so many opportunities. Maybe we should have known when our dear Rudy dropped an airball to throw to start the game. In any case, the limits of the Blues in terms of offensive creation and more generally background play have been exposed in broad daylight once morest the defensive intensity of the Mannschaft, determined to pay tribute to Dirk as it should.
“THE BALL… IN THE BASKET GUYS.” pic.twitter.com/IKQoTxaQLv
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) September 1, 2022
Without a doubt, we are in front of a French team that is still looking for itself. The proof, Vincent Collet turned his starting five upside down once morest Germany, notably integrating Andrew Albicy to bring defensive toughness at the start of the match and thus avoid the usual air pockets. Elie Okobo also started but the duo was then replaced to make way for Thomas Heurtel and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot at the start of the second. It was also when we returned from the locker room that we saw the best version of EDF, with an omnipresent Guerschon Yabusele in the leading role (18 points, career record in the jersey of the Blues) and a locked defense -in. Enough to make up the seven points behind at the break and even take a short lead. Except that it didn’t last and the Blues ended up sinking gradually into the warm atmosphere of Cologne. The end of the third quarter particularly hurt the blue-white-red camp (-14 at the end of the third) and each comeback attempt was then nipped in the bud, especially by a well-received Maodo Lo throughout the evening. Dennis Schroder took care of putting the lid on by putting on a show while the Blues never managed to respond to the aggressiveness offered opposite. As a symbol, Evan Fournier (7 points at 2/10) had a bad evening in his attacking leader’s costume and no one managed to take over except for Guerschon’s big performance. And that is still a damn worrying sign for the future.
You won’t believe us, but to win a basketball game you have to know how to put the big orange ball inside the basket. In a generally choppy meeting, France was in total trouble offensively, she who gave the impression of walking in the mud for 40 minutes. And in a competition like the Euro once morest an opponent pushed by his audience, that does not forgive. Reaction expected on Saturday once morest Lithuania to avoid finding themselves in a very tight situation.
And Guerschon.
Here is my analysis of this first match.
The rest, of course, is only a first competitive match but MURE it’s scary. In attack, in intensity, in reactions, we were not there. But then not at all.
You have to wake up there.
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) September 1, 2022
