The "no" of the Wolves to Juancho Hernangómez "It is disappointing"
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France
defeated the
United States
on
Sunday
in their Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020 (83-76) and exposed the seams of an American team built at forced marches that conceded
their first Olympic defeat in 17 years
, since when they fell in the semifinals of Athens 2004 against Argentina.
Like the emperor's outfit, the Gallic outfit proved that 'Team USA' was naked, or at least not stitched well enough to withstand a first-rate duel, with several last minute changes and three players, the finalists of the NBA, arrived less than 24 hours ago. One of them, Milwaukee Bucks champion
Jrue Holiday
, was the best with 18 points.
Led by a spectacular
Evan Fournier
(28 points and 4 rebounds), well supported by
Nando de Colo
(13, 5 and 5 assists) and with good moments from
Rudy Gobert
(14 points and 9 assists), those of
Vincent Collet
held the attack individual players of the talented stars and stripes team, who accused their leader,
Kevin Durant
(10 points), was charged with fouls too early, and did not know how to play a tight finish.
Thus, the NBA All-Star team fell on a stage with a supposedly NBA look, not only in the lights of the Saitama Super Arena, but in the constant music in each interruption of the game and even the kind of background noise that he accompanied the duel, as a kind of substitute musical thread for the fans stolen by the pandemic.
Perhaps infused by the atmosphere, France tried to play the United States as if it were too: practically without defending.
No fouls made in the first quarter.
The punishment of Durant and
Bam Adebayo
did not wait (11-18, min. 7).
Collet moved the quintet, put kilos in the paint with
Moustapha Fall
, and despite
Jayson Tatum going
13-22 on the run, he closed the gap to close the quarter 15-22.
Fall's good work seemed to encourage the French attack, which regained circulation, but at the same time
Damian Lillard
regained the success: he scored two 3-pointers, which he had previously missed. Durant made the third foul and had to go to the bench, allowing Gobert to go under the rim without opposition (33-37, min. 16).
The variety of resources of the United States caused that any jam in scoring had a new plunger: before it had been
Tatum
, now it was
Zach LaVine
, with a triple and a run finished in one-handed mate.
The 37-45 break was not worse news for France, but the injury of
Guerschon Yabusele
, who withdrew in pain from his left knee in a knee collision with
Holiday
.
Fortunately, the new Real Madrid player was able to play again later.
Forunier, boiling
A boiling Fournier, with ten points in four minutes, put France on the road taking advantage of Durant's fourth foul.
Vincent Poirier
equalized it (52-52, min. 26), De Colo did mischief against the lukewarm North American defense and
Thomas Heurtel
finished him off with a triple that made it 62-56 with the last quarter remaining. The partial had been 25-11, a first-rate Gallic challenge to the almighty USA.
An NBA champion, Holiday, had to come to rescue the American team, who like
Khris Middleton
and
Devin Booker
practically went from the plane to the field - they arrived less than 24 hours ago - to save the team from the stars and stripes. scoring baskets of all colors: triples, personal fouls, trays, capturing rebounds.
The Bucks made a partial 1-13 practically alone, from 62-56 to 63-69, which restored the tranquility of G
regg Popovich
, a generally hieratic type, unalterable with or without public as in the Super Arena of Saitama.
But France did not give up: between Yabusele, Batum and Fournier they brought it back with 72-74 with 2 minutes remaining.
A plug from Batum to Adebayo paralyzed the American replica and Fournier hit the triple to advance the French squad (76-74).
In the American replica, neither Durant nor Holiday hit their triples, and the play ended with Yabusele on the floor.
America shorted out.
Shooting failures, errors such as an unsportsmanlike Lillard for taking his foot out to prevent a Fournier steal, ended up unhinging a defeated team, without Durant for his fifth foul and in which even the quiet Popovich ended up protesting a volunteer from the Games .
The North American coach will have to sew, and a lot, if he does not want to return from Tokyo 2020 with the uniform of the stars and stripes in tatters.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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