Depth: After Defeating Germany and Canada, the French Men’s Basketball Team Has Undergone a Transformation – They Have More Than Just a Psychological Edge Against the US

Whether it is through big data analysis provided by relevant professional institutions or predictions made by industry insiders, all signs point to the US men’s basketball team defeating the French team to win the gold medal in the upcoming Olympics. Will the actual situation play out as most people hope? During this year’s Olympics, if there were a ranking of teams that encountered the most setbacks, the French team would say they are second, and no one would dare claim first. Their journey has been fraught with internal strife. Faced with words like unity, focus, and competition, which inspire pride, this French national men’s basketball team has always seemed to avoid them.

Firstly, in terms of team composition, Joel Embiid, who holds dual French and American citizenship, has always been a target for recruitment by the French national team. As early as two years ago, the French national team had already communicated with Embiid about joining, and even the head coach of the French team, Vincent Collet, said, “I think he should join us.” However, he ultimately chose the US team after dragging his feet for two years. This also explains why whenever Embiid took the court during this year’s Olympics, there was always a chorus of boos from the crowd, with some fans even shouting slogans such as “Embiid should return his French passport.” Clearly, the “Embiid incident” dealt a severe blow to this French team’s credibility and planted seeds of doubt regarding the team’s cohesion. Then, during this year’s Olympics, Evan Fournier sparked an internal conflict.

After losing to Germany in the group stage, Fournier criticized Coach Collet and his coaching staff for their tactics, stating, “This is no longer basketball from the 1990s or early 2000s, where you could rely on half-court defense. Offense is crucial today; on the court, you need to seek balance between offense and defense, playing transition basketball, especially when facing teams strong in transition.” Vincent did not mince words in response and did not try to defuse the situation but directly countered, saying, “Fournier’s views differ from those of the team. His comments are unacceptable and regrettable. He must take responsibility. I won’t comment further, but I believe the rest of the team supports our game plan.”

After the incident, as they eliminated the Canadian men’s basketball team in the quarterfinals, the issue was temporarily put to rest. But one wave had not yet subsided when another arose. Fournier had issues with Collet, while Collet had issues with the team’s most important player, Victor Wembanyama. Following the loss to Germany, Collet criticized Wembanyama for holding the ball too long and passing too little. He said, “He held the ball for too long. You can’t play like that against such aggression. Don’t always think of one-on-one plays because they will double-team you. The most important thing is to pass the ball.” Subsequently, in the quarterfinal match against Canada, Collet made significant adjustments to the starting lineup, benching Rudy Gobert, one of the core players of the French team, for almost the entire game, eventually giving him only three minutes of playing time. Added to this, the French team lost four matches in pre-Olympic warm-up games and narrowly avoided defeat against Japan, winning only with a miraculous and somewhat controversial four-point shot.

This team felt like the “naughty child” at the Olympics. But these incidents did not break the French team; instead, they forged its team culture.

On Thursday, after defeating Germany and advancing to the gold medal match, the French players aimlessly walked around the court, the coaching staff linked arms in a circle, jumping together in celebration. The court was filled with embraces and tears. Some even took off their jerseys and proudly ran a lap in front of the audience. Such scenes gave the impression that they had already won the trophy. In fact, what they won was just an opportunity, a chance to compete against the US team for the gold medal on the banks of the Seine in Paris, but that was enough! As Wembanyama put it, this is not an opportunity that comes along every day, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” Collet added, “Playing an Olympic final in Paris is a dream.”

For the French team, this indeed feels like a dream, but their upset victory over Canada, eliminating the world champions, a team that had won 13 consecutive games since 2022, from the gold medal match, showed that they now have the potential to turn dreams into reality. In the upcoming gold medal match, the US team faces a red-hot home team, one that is currently riding an incredible wave. “The energy the French team brings and the enthusiasm of the local fans are truly special. Without a doubt, the final will be even more exciting. I can’t wait to be part of it. I think it will be one of the most interesting games I’ve ever participated in,” said Steve Kerr, coach of the US team.

The upcoming match is a replay of the Tokyo Olympics final, where the US team narrowly defeated France 87-82. However, in the Tokyo Olympics group stage, the French team beat the US team, ending the latter’s 25-game winning streak at the Olympics since Beijing 2008. Therefore, the US team has long been wary of the French team. When forming this team, they increased their frontcourt height, recruiting Embiid, Anthony Davis, and Bam Adebayo. Of course, the French team also noted the methods used by the US team to limit the Serbian duo of Jokic and Nikola Milutinov. However, in the past two games, the French team has not played with such a tall lineup, as Gobert barely played, and Wembanyama moved to the starting center position.

Compared to before, with Yanick Moreira replacing Gobert in the starting lineup, the current French men’s basketball team is smaller, faster, and shows greater strength, especially in physical confrontation on defense. “Seeing their team evolve, changing styles at any time, is truly impressive,” said Kerr. “What stands out most in the footage is how hard they play on both ends. Therefore, we must prepare for such physical confrontation and strength, not just matching but surpassing them. That’s the challenge.” It is expected that Collet will continue to play small-ball, with Isaya Cordygnier starting, while Fournier will come off the bench. The former was originally just a regular rotation player, but in the last two games, Cordygnier averaged 18 points, hitting six of ten three-pointers.

On Friday, Kerr stated that Cordygnier’s rise necessitated a re-analysis of the French men’s basketball team. The US team may need a more flexible game plan to cope with the French team continuing to play small-ball or reverting to a big lineup. However, regardless of the tactics, the US team is well aware of the serious challenge they face. Earlier, Curry mentioned the Olympic final opponent, France, saying, “You expect them to play the best game of their lives because they’re at home and get the help of adrenaline. They’ve built up a lot of momentum in the last two games. You must expect them to play very well, but we also expect to perform excellently ourselves.”

In the end, regardless of the result, this game will become another classic battle in basketball history. Will the US team fulfill their wish to win the gold medal, or will the French team stage another stunning comeback? The answer will soon be revealed on the court.