PARIS (France) - France are through to the Semi-Finals of the Olympics once again, coming out strong against previously perfect Canada, and claiming an 82-73 win in a deafening atmosphere of the Bercy Arena.
They will now take on the world champions Germany in the Semi-Finals.
Turning point
Coach Vincent Collet changed his rotations, leaving Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier on the bench, while putting Isaia Cordinier and Guerschon Yabusele in as starters.
Collet also decided to defend Shai Gilgeous-Alexander one-on-one, and Nicolas Batum handled that part of the job perfectly early on, while Cordinier had 10 points already in the first quarter to create a double digit advantage and hold Canada to 15 points in 15 minutes.
The lead ballooned to 19 points early in the second half, but coach Jordi Fernandez did not allow his team to give up.
SGA found his rhythm in the third quarter, Canada started to dominate the rebounding and once RJ Barrett joined Gilgeous-Alexander offensively, they trimmed the gap all the way to 65-60 with four minutes to play.
The turning point followed, as Evan Fournier put together seven quick points, while Victor Wembanyama's block on Dillon Brooks set the stage for the dagger shot.
It was, of course, Fournier again. He made a three-pointer from half court as the shot clock expired to make it 76-66, and the noise nearly blew the roof off of the Bercy Arena.
Just like that France were back to safe waters, cruising towards another Olympic Semi-Final.
Game heroes
The blue collars. Isaia Cordinier had 20 points, Guerschon Yabusele collected 22, while Mathias Lessort finished with 13 off the bench. Evan Fournier scored 12 of his 15 in the final four minutes.
Stats don't lie
Three-pointers are crucial in modern day basketball. While France's nine aren't exactly a mind blowing number, they usually came at perfect timings, while Canada were held to just 5-of-21 shooting from deep.
Bottom line
Guess what? France aren't a one-man band, at all. With Wemby held back for just 7 points on the day, the others stepped up and carried the Tokyo Finalists back to the final four.
They made a habit of winning like this, showing signs of struggle in group stage and then playing their best basketball in elimination rounds, most notable at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, and the FIBA EuroBasket 2005 in Belgrade.
As for Canada, their magical run ends two games before they hoped. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points, but RJ Barrett was the only player following his lead, finishing with 16. They were the only two players in double digits for Canada.
The quest to win another Olympic medal will go on for at least four more years. The only time they got one was back in 1936.
They said
"That's normally how the game goes, you just gotta keep fighting, keep battling, it's a long game, there's many possessions. We were able to make it a five-point game, just never really got over the hump. They played a great game, and we missed some shots down the stretch." - Jamal Murray, Canada
Everybody had to step up, all 12 of us - Mathias Lessort
"We knew everybody had to step up, all 12 of us. We knew what kind of team Canada was, they've been amazing the whole tournament, and it was on us to be ourselves, to step up, all together, and that's what we did, the best way possible." - Mathias Lessort, France
"I think if you remember this feeling - it's not a good feeling - and you come back to the Olympics and you remember this feeling, that's how you break through. Teams that I've been a part, that have won, that had a lot of success, there's always some disappointment at some point. And you don't know how much you can do until you go through tough times. We cannot forget these tough times, that's how we move on." - Canada head coach Jordi Fernandez believes not reaching the podium will make his team better in the future
I wanted Wemby to start as position 'five' - Coach Collet
"The main reason was the lineup of Canada. They always start the games with Dillon Brooks as position 'four,' and they play small ball. The second one was that I wanted Wemby to start as position 'five,' that's why I put back Yabusele as position 'four,' while the second change was Cordinier for Evan Fournier, because I wanted to start with a defensive starting five." - France head coach Vincent Collet explaining the thought process of his new starters
Quick notes
France have reached back-to-back Semi-Finals for the first time since 1956 (three in a row)
This is the first time that a host nation has reached the Semi-Finals since Australia in 2000. The United States are the only hosts to win gold, they have done it twice, in 1984 and 1996
SGA's 27 points are the most by a Canadian since Michael Meeks also had 27 against Australia in 2000
Victor Wembanyama has 11 steals so far, the most at the 2024 Olympics, while he ranks second in rebounding with 44 boards, three less than Nikola Jokic
FIBA