FIBA World Championship Day One Upset

From the get go, the fifteenth seed (15th) Team France meant serious business and that they are out to dismantle the highly touted and third seed (3rd) Team Spain. France typified this intention in the first quarter with 8:49 left in the clock and as Marc Gasol (the starting Center) of Spain is off for an easy fast break slam, then out of nowhere Nicolas Batum (starting Small Forward) of France blocked Gasol’s shot and gained ball possession. The block shot was the first of the 5 team block shots of France against none of Spain. France showed Spain they can play defense and great team basketball with less NBA superstars in their lineup. France won the game 72-66 and scored the biggest opening day upset at the FIBA World Championship being held at Turkey.


France has the potential to be a powerhouse team in this league but the absence of NBA superstars like Tony Parker (San Antonio Sours), Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls), Mikael Pietrus (Orlando Magic), Ronny Turiaf (New York Knick) and Rodrigue Beaubois (Dallas Mavericks) made them a doubtful title contender, thus they were placed as the fifteenth seed in the FIBA World Rankings this year. Aggravating the absence of these top-notch French players is the fact that the team has to contend itself with younger players at the backcourt who will be tasked to distribute the ball. By younger players I mean players with less exposure and experience in International games.


Behind the rankings and the absence of NBA players in the team, Team France Head Coach Vincent Collet has other things in mind. For sure he is aware of his team’s strengths more so of its weaknesses, thus, he tactically used both to his teams’ greater advantage. Having youth in his line up doesn't just mean they are inexperienced, this also means the team is more athletic, hungry and determined to prove their worth in the international arena. Unlike other established NBA superstars who might not feel the pride and value of patriotism in basketball because of their “commitment” to their NBA teams and the perks that goes with it, these young French ballers are beaming with enthusiasm, pride and hope not just for their country much more for their basketball career.


Enthusiasm, determination and pride are the words that best describe the game between France and Spain. Trailing majority of the quarters, France played exceptional team basketball and tremendous phasing by consistently coming back and keeping the margins of the game manageable. The NBA experience of forward Boris Diaw and young guard Yannick Bokolo lead the team in the assist department as they managed to collate 15 team dimes against the 9 of Spain. France suffocating defense also took the toll against Spain as France allowed their opponents to a 36.4% Field Goal Percentage (35.5% from the 2-point area) and 53.1% from the foul line.


In the end, enthusiasm, determination and pride of the French took the center stage. Spain’s NBA superstar-laden line-up failed to match these three key fighting words of their French counterpart. The highly celebrated young and good-looking point guard of Spain, Ricky Rubio managed to pile-up only 3 assists, 3 Steals, 3 rebounds and 6 points in 29 minutes. Rubio and Juan Carlos Navarro, two guards who played with the most minutes in the game, but it was the latter who had better showing than the last. But their efforts failed to snatch the win out of the hungrier and more determined Frenchmen.


Joining France in Group D are the National Teams from Lithuania (Ranked No. 6), Lebanon (Ranked No. 24), Canada (Ranked No. 19), New Zealand (Ranked No. 13) and Spain (Ranked No. 2). Among these teams, New Zealand, Lithuania and Spain are Team France’s biggest threat to overcome and advance to the next round, but that is not to count out Lebanon who powered past Canada in the earlier game.