Saitama (Japan) (AFP)
So close so far ... French basketball players dreamed of a first Olympic coronation, but the Americans of Kevin Durant, imperial, had the last word (87-82) at the Tokyo Games on Saturday and adorned themselves with gold for the fourth time in a row.
Rudy Gobert was inconsolable, in tears, after the buzzer that delivered the Americans, scoring almost the entire match, but contested until the end by brawling Blues, generous, but in the end a tad too clumsy to reverse the situation.
The best French on the floor (16 pts, 8 rebounds) immediately pulled himself together at the microphone of France Televisions, delivering his analysis: "These are small details, there are times when we lost our concentration we gave them Too many easy things. There are those little periods where we give them rebounds, easy counter-attacks, that's what costs us the game. "
Beaten by France in their last two confrontations, in the quarter-finals of the 2019 World Cup and at the start of the tournament in the group stage, Team USA and its armada of NBA stars nevertheless had to work.
If it had taken a period of time to get into steamroller mode and bluntly dismiss Spain in the quarterfinals, then Australia in the half, the Americans did not wait as much this time.
Led (12-6) after four minutes, Durant left his box to chain the baskets and give wings to the Americans, whose lead peaked at 13 lengths (39-26).
- Sheet "details" -
But the French finished the first period better even if they were behind in the score at half-time (44-39), relying on Gobert, dominant inside and the target of repeated faults.
His 13 points at the break could have done more with success on free throws (6/13).
A new American highlight then occurred thanks to the awakening of Damian Lillard (11 pts).
Then the accordion's bellows tightened, thanks to Evan Fournier (16 pts) and Gershon Yabusele (13 pts).
Led by 3 pts (73-70) five minutes from the end then even ten seconds (85-82), the Blues still believed in it, but those damn "details" ...
"Winning gold would make this final, already historic, legendary for French basketball," Vincent Collet had hoped Thursday.
He obviously knew the feat that a third success in a row would have represented, a fortiori in the context of a final of the Olympics where only the USSR beat the USA in Munich in 1972.
Still, this silver medal comes to reward a group which holds its place in the Pantheon of French basketball, 21 years after the Sciarra, Rigaudeau and other Bonato also beaten in Sydney, by a "Dream Team" then untouchable for the rest of the world.
- Popovich finally in gold -
And it is added to the record of Vincent Collet, who, in twelve years at the head of the Blues, has taught his players how to win medals (six).
For the United States, it would be wrong to believe that this new coronation, the 16th in 19 Olympics, comes down to "business as usual".
Because this force of habit has been challenged to them since Argentina knocked them off their pedestal in the semi-finals of the Athens Games in 2004. At the time, Gregg Popovich was George Karl's assistant, and he experienced another disappointment two years ago at the World Cup against the Bleus de Collet.
Adding Olympic gold to his five NBA championship rings gleaned with the San Antonio Spurs, at the age of 72, crowns an exceptional coaching career, with a unique flavor for this man open to the world, who drew his science of the game in European basketball, but has suffered a continuous rain of criticism for the past two years.
He who had confided to having been "ready to cry, to beg" to have Durant on his team for these Olympics, was obviously not mistaken.
He knows what he owes him, and so does America.
© 2021 AFP