Team France Advances To Olympic Final

Team France defeated Team Germany in the Paris Olympics men’s basketball semifinals. It was a dramatic game, especially in the second quarter. The game finished 73-69 with Team Germany knocked out of the Olympic competition. What were some key takeaways from this game?

Photo byTJ DragottaonUnsplash

Team France’s Performance

The French team started the game slow. Also, the French Star Victor Wembanyama wasn’t ready to rumble yet as he tried to find his footing in the first quarter. The same goes for most of the French men in the starting lineup except for Isaia Cordinier who tried to keep up with the German’s offensive performance. Cordinier was the highest performer in the French team as he scored nine points and grabbed two rebounds. He went 4-for-6 from the field and 1-for-2 from deep. However, Cordinier wasn’t alone as Mathias Lessort came off the bench to support him with four points and an assist, making two of his field goal attempts.

The second quarter of the game was the highlight of France’s game. After losing the first quarter with a seven-point margin (25-18), Team France locked in during the second quarter. Throughout the second quarter, the French team played ultimate defense with a clinical offensive attack. The team made most of their shots while deterring the German team from scoring more points. With this performance, France tied the game at half.

Team Germany’s Performance

Team Germany was the favorite to win this game after playing well in the first quarter. The team started fast and furious while the French struggled to make their shots especially from deep. The German men combined for 60% from the field in the first quarter and 33.3% from downtown. Therefore half of their points were from downtown However, the team was missing something.

The German team made mainly three-point plays without a stronger defense than the French team. The French team outlasted the Germans because Germany didn’t have a strong defensive advantage. Franz Wagner only added one rebound in this game while Dennis Schroder added an assist to his performance. Finally, Moritz Wagner and Nick Weilier-Babb, who always did well from the bench, had little to contribute given France's ultimate defensive performance.

Key Takeaways From This Game

Though Victor Wembanyama wasn’t as explosive as usual in his performance on the court he made crucial points that helped France maintain the competitiveness of the game. After the first half, he finished with seven points, five rebounds, a block, and an assist. Most of his first half points came from the second quarter. Also 36 seconds to the end of the second quarter he made a dunk that tied France to the lead at halftime (33-33). Finally, at the end of the second half he finished with 11 points, four assists, three blocks, and seven rebounds, going 4-for-17 from the field.

Team France had low shooting efficiency in the first quarter. The French shot 47.1% from the field and 14.3% from deep while Germany shot 60% and 33.3% in field goals and three-pointers respectively. However, after the second quarter, Germany's shooting efficiency dropped by 14% with no attempts from deep while France’s field goal percentage dropped by 3%. Also, Team France had more steals and blocks than Germany. Thus, this is how the Frenchmen could prevent Germany from elevating their offensive performance.

The German and French teams battled in the third quarter, however, the latter team had the upper hand. A notable French performer from the second quarter was Guerschon Yabusele. Yabusele finished as the team's best player with 17 points, seven rebounds, and two assists, going 7-for-11 in field goals and making three of his free throws.

Final Thoughts

Team France played the ultra defense strategy in their debut Olympics match against Team Brazil which worked. Also, the Team played the same strategy in the second quarter against the German team. However, if the team doesn’t work on its shooting percentage, it might affect the team’s performance in the finals.

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Article originally written by Wisdom Ukpeh