Tokyo (AFP)

Eliminated earlier than he expected in the NBA play-offs, after winning a third trophy for best defender of the year, Rudy Gobert will have to put himself back in "Gobzilla" mode to be the weapon of massive deterrence of the Blues at the Tokyo Games, from Sunday (2:00 p.m. French) against the United States.

In recent years, the great victories and the record of the French team, inflated with two bronze medals at the 2014 and 2019 Worlds and another at Euro-2015, have always been built on defense and the genome. inescapable of this DNA is Rudy Gobert.

Two years ago, in Dongguan in China, he had disgusted the "Team USA", totally outdated in the racket.

Impregnable control tower in defense, effective in attack (21 pts, 16 rebounds including 7 offensives, 3 blocks), the 2.16 m pivot had made the lack of adversity proposed inside pay dearly.

This show of strength, Gobert could not repeat it then in the semifinals against Argentina and his rock that does not erode Luis Scola, but what does it matter: two years have passed and the American coach Gregg Popovich does not She had not forgotten when composing her squad for Tokyo, knowing that her team would enter the Olympic tournament against France.

- Almost unanimous -

That's why, we must admit, quite devoid of tall players like Anthony Davis, he initially called Kevin Love, believing that he "is the perfect player to play against guys like Rudy Gobert".

Finally, the pivot of Cleveland had to give up the Games, insufficiently recovered from an injury to the right calf, and was replaced by JaVale McGee (Denver), admittedly culminating at 2.13 m, but not of the same stature.

The interior sector of the USA will nevertheless count on Bam Adebayo (2.06 m) one of the best pivots in the North American league, whose constant selflessness is no longer to be demonstrated in the jersey of the Miami Heat.

And if the fight promises to be fierce in the racket, it will only bring the French back to his daily life with the Utah Jazz.

During the season which has just passed, Gobert was almost unanimous with the players and the media, being chosen in first position by 84 of the 100 voters who were to nominate the five best defenders of their choice, from a list. established.

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Well ahead of the Australian leader of Philadelphia Ben Simmons and the strong winger of Golden State Draymond Green, whose road he will cross on Sunday, he thus recovered his due, which Giannis Antetokounmpo had deprived of last year, after his double in 2018 and 2019.

- Redemption -

In fact, in 71 regular season games, he compiled 13.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks on average and was above all the 4th most dissuasive player in the league, only ahead of three others having played much fewer games. than him.

For Gobert, this new proof of recognition, coupled with a second consecutive selection for the All-Star Game in February, had a taste of redemption at the end of a very complicated previous year.

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The first NBA player to test positive for Covid-19 in March 2020, which precipitated the suspension of the season, he was criticized for his lightness, after having touched microphones and recorders with his joking hands during a conference of press a few days earlier.

And his relationship with the other Jazz star Donovan Mitchell, quickly infected, became freezing.

The elimination in the first round of the play-offs in the Orlando bubble, however, did not prevent him from signing a record contract extension in December for a Frenchman ($ 205 million over five years).

Preamble to a convincing season, even if he could not prevent Utah from falling in the semifinals of the Western Conference in mid-June, beaten (4-2) by the Los Angeles Clippers of Nicolas Batum.

The disappointment passed, he immediately turned to the Olympic goal and made no secret of his ambition by warning last week: "we are clearly aiming for gold".

Beating "Team" USA again would undoubtedly give weight to this statement.

© 2021 AFP