The 2009 French NT thread

[Milo]

D.1 Procedure
Teams shall be classified according to their win-loss records, namely two (2) points
for each game won, one (1) point for each game lost (including lost by default) and
zero (0) points for a game lost by forfeit.
D.1.1 If there are two teams in the classification with equal points, the result(s) of the
game(s) between the two teams involved will be used to determine the placings.
D.1.2 If the points and the goal average in the games between the two teams are still the
same, the classification will be determined by the goal average of all the games
played in the group by each team.
D.1.3 If more than two teams are equal in the placing, a second classification will be
established, taking into account only the results of the games between the teams
that are tied.
D.1.4 If there are still teams tied after the second classification, then goal average will be
used to determine the placing, taking into account only the results of the games
between the teams still tied.
D.1.5 If there are still teams tied, the placing will be determined using the goal average
from the results of all their games played in the group.
D.1.6 If, at any stage, using the above criteria, a multiple team tie is reduced to a tie
involving only two teams, the procedure in D.1.1 and D.1.2 above will be applied.
D.1.7 If, at any stage, it is reduced to a tie still involving more than two teams, the
procedure, beginning with D.1.3 above, is repeated.
D.1.8 Goal average will always be calculated by division.

So if Spain, Serbia and Slovenia all finish with a 3/2 record (not unlikely), rule D.1.4 applies and according to my calculations, Turkey is 1st, Slovenia 2nd, Serbia 3rd and Spain 4th.

[Milo]

IF Lithuania-Poland-Turkey win 1.Turkey 2. Slovenia 3. Serbia 4. Poland
IF Lithuania-Poland-Slovenia win 1. Slovenia 2.Turkey 3. Serbia 4. Poland
IF Lithuania-Spain-Turkey win 1. Turkey 2. Spain 3. Slovenia 4. Serbia
IF Lithuania-Spain-Slovenia 1. Slovenia 2. Turkey 3. Spain 4. Serbia
IF Serbia-Poland-Turkey win 1. Turkey 2. Slovenia 3. Serbia 4. Poland
IF Serbia-Spain-Turkey win 1. Turkey 2. Slovenia 3. Serbia 4. Spain
IF Serbia-Spain-Slovenia win 1.Slovenia 2. Turkey 3. Serbia 4. Spain
IF Serbia- Poland-Slovenia win 1. Slovenia 2. Turkey 3. Serbia 4. Poland

Basically Spain at 4th is very likely; meaning winning against Greece would send France against Spain in quarter final.

[tso & lo Cavfanatic]

Spain ath thw QF!What a nightmare!Do you think that either Collet or Kazlauskas would prefer to loose the tomorows' game in order to aoid Spain?

[Alain]

All these calculations are irrelevant as it would be folly to ask TP and his friends to lose a game on purpose. So it's up to Greece to do what they believe is better for them.

[Kill_Bill_Pana]

Once again. This forum looks stupid for not believing what KBP said. You want to lose to avoid Spain at quarterfinal because Spain will finish 4th in their group. Any retard could figure this out but it seems it is far too complicated for the geniuses here to grasp.

[Bruno]

Basically Spain at 4th is very likely; meaning winning against Greece would send France against Spain in quarter final.

Serbia will finish 3rd or 4th in all the cases. With the travel and the QF the day after, they will surely take the game against Lithuania very easy. Serbia beating Lithuania is far from being a sure thing.

Losing won't really help France or Greece to avoid Spain. IMO both teams will try to win this game without playing their main players too much minutes.
If Russia beat Macedonia in the game just before France/Greece, Greece will be a little more motivated to win this game because a loss would put them at the 3rd spot and gives them a harder schedule.

[robot89]

what time is the game tomorrow??
sa time

[mathbzh]

This game will be important for French players.
I heard on radio that we have a 13 losses streak against Greece going.

Players will want to prove themselves they can win that game. I think the first half will be very intense. Then, maybe one team will drop the game if they are -15 at halftime.

[sonic21]

what time is the game tomorrow??
sa time

11:15 am

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

To all the French guys, I just want to congratulate you with the FNT, they're playing really well at the moment and IMO are favorites to win it all. Good luck, will be rooting for them.

[Bukefal]

Thread cleaned up. KPB is gone for good. I warned him about spewing his trash, made a thread specifically for him and nothing worked. Late.

Hopefully this thread can get back on track and stay there without KPB constantly derailing it.

Is he banned? I thought that was impossible since he used some changing ip addresses or something? Well, at least the insulting is gone now, but on the other hand, a little bit of interesting things are also gone :)

[ata]

Question about Bokolo - he seem to be excelent defensive player, why he is not used more? I've seen him against Croatia where he effective shuted-down Popovič.

[Mel_13]

France, Greece Fight For Top Spot In Group E
14 September 2009
By Yarone Arbel

There's one game to decide the king of Group E in Bydgoszcz and that game will feature Greece and France.

The loss to Russia on the second day of the round didn't hurt Greece's chances to win the group, a win over France is a must and enough in any case, but Coach Jonas Kazlauskas didn't let that fact calm his nerves.

The Greek locker room was locked in the minutes following the loss, and the their camp took their first defeat very heavily.

Missing back up center Kostas Koufos against Russia due to sickness hurt the team of Coach Kazlauskas. They were blocked seven times, and saw Ioannis Bouroursis turn in his worst performance so far in the competition.

The Greeks hope to see Koufos back on the court against France - another team loaded with big and athletic inside players who make it difficult to score around the rim.

France, eager to write their first win over Greece in EuroBasket in 26 years, wish to remain perfect one more day.

Against Croatia they proved they were able to handle not only deep strong teams, but also to have the know-how to recover from a deficit to a win, something Greece failed to do.

The situation in Group F draws attention as well. Despite their unconvincing performance so far nobody wishes to face Spain in the Quarter-Finals.

If it seems Spain's chances to finish fourth are smaller, the fight for the first spot in Group E will become even more intense and crucial.

Greece may aim at the top spot but must keep an eye out to Russia who could still finish second in the group.

If Russia beat F.Y.R.O.M. they will push Greece back to the third spot in case of a Greek loss.

Head-to-head: One of the longest rivalries in Europe dates back to 1949 when the two giants met for the first time and France won 41-36. Things have changed a bit ever since, and the total record in EuroBasket between the two is 10-5 in favor of Greece. Moreover Greece has won the last seven of them in a row. The last time France managed to beat Greece was 26 years ago in 1983 as the event hosts. It was a 79-77 despite 38 points by Nikos Galis.

Last time out: France remained perfect with an 87-79 victory over Croatia while Greece suffered their first loss in the competition behind a 68-65 defeat to Russia.

Stats: If the three Preliminary Round games France combined for 14 three-pointers in 26.4% making them one of the worst shooting teams in the competition. In the two Qualifying Round games they made a 180 degrees spin and stand on 20 three balls at 71.4%. Such a huge shift is tough to explain, but in the four games remaining till the gold France will need to find the balance between the first unacceptable part and the second unmatched part, and how to win within that balance.

Key Match-Up: Against Israel he rested, in the win over Germany he played only 14 minutes and against Russia had a weak performance of four out of 14 attempts from the field. Ioannis Bouroursis seemed like a possible MVP after two days, but since then he's not performing as expected. In order for Greece to better France they need the first two games Bourousis. At the other side will wait a trio of Ronny Turiaf, Alain Koffi and Ali Traore are all physical, long and strong. If they manage to work together to limit the Greek giant, France's chances to win will be much better.

X-Factor: In his first EuroBasket Nando De Colo is still looking for his spot in the French team. So far in the championship he hit eight three-pointers in 53.3% and showed Europe what everybody in France already know about his shooting skills. After two great games of shooting by players as Diaw, Nicholas Batum and Florent Pietrus, it's likely they won't continue it to a third in a row, as they aren't natural born shooters. De Colo must be there for his team and cover for them, in case of need, to keep France as a threat from outside, especially against a team as tough and strong under the rim as Greece.

Sounding-Off: "They have a good team with a lot of great players and a great coach. Despite their loss, we have to be careful with this game, ‘cause it's still Greece." - France's forward Nicholas Batum.

http://www.eurobasket2009.org/en/coid_xCFnvfzGJTQ4lXaCVWArx3.articleMode_on.html

[mathbzh]

D.1.1 If there are two teams in the classification with equal points, the result(s) of the
game(s) between the two teams involved will be used to determine the placings.

Does someone know why Spain is 3rd and not 4th despite a loss against Serbia? (The two teams have 2W-2L)

[Mel_13]

Does someone know why Spain is 3rd and not 4th despite a loss against Serbia? (The two teams have 2W-2L)

The tiebreaker rules are applied at the end of the round. For current standings, the Eurobasket website lists teams in order by points with goal average used to separate ties.

http://www.eurobasket2009.org/en/cid_toT,ovGDH2EaLKL67XnPo2.pageID_vIyYheHwGCIvltGH MGl3H0.compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2009.h tml

[Bruno]

Question about Bokolo - he seem to be excelent defensive player, why he is not used more? I've seen him against Croatia where he effective shuted-down Popovič.

Bokolo is a poor offensive player who can't shoot (his FT% last year was 48%).
He is used only as a stopper when an opposite guard is on fire.

[kobyz]

i hope TP will not play today and rest! this game is not determine much and he should not play.

[manufan10]

Good luck to the FNT today. Anyone know where I can follow the game?

[Pauleta14]

Good luck to the FNT today. Anyone know where I can follow the game?

Try "keeperlive1" or "rugbytv63" on Justin...

We'll know for sure once the game begins!

and http://golf.cautela.nl/broadcast.php?matchid=49083&part=sports

[Slo spurs fan]

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 19 (7 members and 12 guests)
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:wow

[manufan10]

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 19 (7 members and 12 guests)
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:wow

:lmao

[Slo spurs fan]

Tony! 3 and one!

[Pauleta14]

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 19 (7 members and 12 guests)
Slo spurs fan, duncan228, Pauleta14, mountainballer, Kill_Bill_Pana, timaios, alchemist


:wow

So I gess the game is "find the mistake" ? :lol:lol

[manufan10]

So I gess the game is "find the mistake" ? :lol:lol

Or the Sesame Street song, "One of these just doesn't belong here.."

:lol

[manufan10]

Try "keeperlive1" or "rugbytv63" on Justin...

We'll know for sure once the game begins!

and http://golf.cautela.nl/broadcast.php?matchid=49083&part=sports

:toast

Thanks!

[Solid D]

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 19 (7 members and 12 guests)
Slo spurs fan, duncan228, Pauleta14, mountainballer, Can't_Seem_To_Kill_Bill_Pana, timaios, alchemist


:wow

Fixed

[Mel_13]

Fixed

He appears to have been sent to a read-only ST purgatory. He has not been banned, but all his posts and threads have been deleted and he cannot make new posts.

[Bruno]

41-34 at the half for FNT
Collet is playing a lot his bench and they have been surprisingly damn good.
Ian is still out. :depressed

It isn't FNT related but I've been really impressed by the Russian center Mozgov in this Euro. I wouldn't be surprised to see him ending in NBA.

[Mel_13]

France used 11 of 12 players in the first half.

No Ian

:(

[Solid D]

He appears to have been sent to a read-only ST purgatory. He has not been banned, but all his posts and threads have been deleted and he cannot make new posts.

Ah, I see. (See "the Rich Man and Lazarus" Luke 16:19-31 :) )

[Solid D]

41-34 at the half for FNT
Collet is playing a lot his bench and they have been surprisingly damn good.
Ian is still out. :depressed

It isn't FNT related but I've been really impressed by the Russian center Mozgov in this Euro. I wouldn't be surprised to see him ending in NBA.

Keen-eye Crippa is there watching.

[Slo spurs fan]

Fake Macedonians can´t hit shit right now. They missed wide open threes.

[Solid D]

This French NT is playing much better defense now, than in prior tournaments. Better schemes and better teamwork all over the court.

[Slo spurs fan]

Fake Macedonians can´t hit shit right now. They missed wide open threes.

On the other hand France isn´t much better.

[Solid D]

This French NT is playing much better defense now, than in prior tournaments. Better schemes and better teamwork all over the court.

That is until they get lazy and start jacking up 3s and feed the fast break. Diaw needs to go back inside.

[Macca76]

To all the French guys, I just want to congratulate you with the FNT, they're playing really well at the moment and IMO are favorites to win it all. Good luck, will be rooting for them.
Thanks dude :toast

[Mel_13]

Ah, I see. (See "the Rich Man and Lazarus" Luke 16:19-31 :) )

:lol

He did not listen

[Slo spurs fan]

Baby Shaq is playing really good on this EC.

[Slo spurs fan]

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL Vaginis with 4 pointer!

[tso & lo Cavfanatic]

Baby Shaq is playing really good on this EC.
He has lost a lot of weight.
On the other hand what is wrong with Boris Diaw? He looks so fat!

OMG!!!!!!!!!What a buzzer from Spanoulis. Where is KBP?:lol

[Slo spurs fan]

And nothing but net by Spanulis (from half court!)

[DPG21920]

What a ridiculous shot from V-Span, lol.

No news from Ian? I know he has not played, but the papers did not give an update?

[manufan10]

I missed it! :depressed

Restroom breaks suck! :lol

[Slo spurs fan]

I missed it! :depressed

Restroom breaks suck! :lol

You will see it all over ST once KBP get his rights back, belive me.

[manufan10]

I thought the last foul was an offensive foul, not the one that just happened.

[Slo spurs fan]

France in trouble! -1. Where is Tony? Did he played in 2nd half at all?

[DPG21920]

Nando with some poor play right now. Where is TP?

[timaios]

Nando de Colo doesn't want to play Spain...

[DPG21920]

Yes, he played in the 2nd half, but strange he is not in right now. I would bet he comes in right now.

[manufan10]

You will see it all over ST once KBP get his rights back, belive me.

I wouldn't doubt it. He probably creamed in his pants when it happened. OMG I'll show those racist scum over at SpursTalk. I'll show them!

[Solid D]

De Colo - some good, some bad.

[Texas_Ranger]

Is TP injured or what??

[manufan10]

I'm surprised TP still isn't in the game.

[tso & lo Cavfanatic]

It looks like neither wants to win.

[Taco]

http://media.mysanantonio.com/images/20090911macedonia-a.jpg (http://www.mysanantonio.com/slideshows/Tony_Parker_in_Europe_2009.html?c=y&page=22)

[DPG21920]

It looks like neither wants to win.

Why would you say that? Greece has all of their players in.

[Solid D]

De Colo is way too erratic. Nice steal and assist...then he falls apart with 2 horrible turnovers to give Greece NT a brief lead. Then he makes a nice drive and gets a loose ball. Hits 2 FTs. Up and down.

.

[tomtom]

I'm surprised TP still isn't in the game.

[tomtom]

oh snap

[Slo spurs fan]

Spanulis is killing FNT.

[DPG21920]

V-Span with a huge shot. 3 pointer to tie the game with 9 seconds left.

[manufan10]

I saw that coming. Turiaf just gave him a clean look. KBP really is creaming in his pants now.

[tso & lo Cavfanatic]

Why would you say that? Greece has all of their players in.
We couldn't grab a fucking defensive reb!
But i was wrong. V-Span wants the win.

[myhc]

where the hell is TP?

[Texas_Ranger]

Nando de colo!!!!!!

[Slo spurs fan]

De Colo!!!

[DPG21920]

Nandoooooooooooooooooooooo

[tomtom]

De Colo FTW!

[Mel_13]

Nandoooooo

[manufan10]

De Colo with a nice shot.

[tso & lo Cavfanatic]

A great buzzer by De Colo!! He looks to be a great talent. Nice pick by Spurs.

[romain.star]

Clutch Nando!!

too bad KBP is banned... i kind of miss the poor fella right now!
:downspin:

[DPG21920]

A very good game from the FNT. The won despite playing a much longer bench than Greece.

1) Why was TP sitting out?
2) Did they misdiagnose Ian? Any updates?

[Solid D]

Great finish, v-Span ties it and then De Colo with the 16 foot jumper to win it. Nando makes up for his mistakes big-time.

[Slo spurs fan]

Clutch Nando!!

too bad KBP is banned... i kind of miss the poor fella right now!
:downspin:

Wrong! He should be proud about his boy Spanulis. V-Span did a great job, others sucked today. Give props to him, he earned it today.

[bobbybob0]

Nice win France, now go get this medal !
:toast

[Pero]

Well of course it's clear to all of you that Greece lost this game on purpuse. :lol

[DPG21920]

De Colo looks ok. He has hit some clutch shots recently, but his play is very up and down like Solid D said. He has moments where he looks very capable (handling the ball, getting to the rim, 3 point shooting..) but then he has stretches where he plays so poorly.

[manufan10]

Clutch Nando!!

too bad KBP is banned... i kind of miss the poor fella right now!
:downspin:

It would have made for some great entertainment right about now. :wakeup

[Mel_13]

A very good game from the FNT. The won despite playing a much longer bench than Greece.

1) Why was TP sitting out?
2) Did they misdiagnose Ian? Any updates?

TP was sitting for the same reason that the rest of the French starters missed all or most of the 4th quarter, a victory meant very little to France.

[Texas_Ranger]

Clutch Nando!!

too bad KBP is banned... i kind of miss the poor fella right now!
:downspin:


He would say that they lost on purpose, cause they don't want to play Spain.

[tso & lo Cavfanatic]

It's to bad for France that they are 1st and they will propably have to play against Spain at the QF!

Slovenia or Turkey for us! It will be tough.

[timaios]

A very good game from the FNT. The won despite playing a much longer bench than Greece.

1) Why was TP sitting out?
2) Did they misdiagnose Ian? Any updates?

The coach gave some rest to his starters for the quarterfinal.

[Slo spurs fan]

Well of course it's clear to all of you that Greece lost this game on purpuse. :lol

Offcourse!

[tso & lo Cavfanatic]

He would say that they lost on purpose, cause they don't want to play Spain.
We lost because FNT played better until the last 4 minutes. Then, it was to late for us.

[romain.star]

Wrong! He should be proud about his boy Spanulis. V-Span did a great job, others sucked today. Give props to him, he earned it today.

Great game by V-Span indeed...

i just wanted to know how the guy felt about a Parker-less FNT winning over Greece for the 1st time since 1983

[Bruno]

The game was quite meaningless but a win against Greece is good to take. The last time France beat Greece in an official game was 26 years ago (Greece won the last 13 official games).

[tso & lo Cavfanatic]

So, i hope to meet you again in the final. Statisticaly we will win us again in 26 years!:p:

[romain.star]

It's to bad for France that they are 1st and they will propably have to play against Spain at the QF!

Slovenia or Turkey for us! It will be tough.

Well... if you want to win it all, you will find Spain on your way at some point. The QFs are possibly the best moment to play them.

[Bruno]

There is some Manu in Nando. He still needs to grow as a player but the talent is there.

[tso & lo Cavfanatic]

Well... if you want to win it all, you will find Spain on your way at some point. The QFs are possibly the best moment to play them.
Just cheer for Poland tomorow;)

[Bruno]

Spain finishing 4th if far from a lock.
Lithuania could very well beat Serbia.

[urunobili]

Did Ian play at all?

[DPG21920]

This Ian situation is peculiar. He was supposed to be cleared to play, felt pain warming up and is never heard from again.

I agree with Bruno, I see some Manu in Nando. If you just go back and read some people's comments on him (mine and Solid D's) you would think we are talking about Manu.

"Terrible play, erratic pass and back to back turn overs. Oh wait, Nando just made a steal then hit a 3. Oh great pass from Nando. He just turned it over again. Nandoooooooooo hits a game winner" :lol

[Slo spurs fan]

Spain finishing 4th if far from a lock.
Lithuania could very well beat Serbia.

Are you serious? Serbia will play for better spot in the 1/4 final, Lithuania will play just for make-up in the standings. Serbia by at least 10 points is my prediction.

[benefactor]

You will see it all over ST once KBP get his rights back, belive me.

Thread cleaned up. KPB is gone for good.
Looks like he is stuck in read-only hell for good.

Nice win by the FNT. I wish I could have watched it. If they archive the games anywhere a link would be much appreciated.

[Bruno]

Are you serious? Serbia will play for better spot in the 1/4 final, Lithuania will play just for make-up in the standings. Serbia by at least 10 points is my prediction.

I can see Serbia being focused on their Thursday QF and Lithuania trying to win it in front of a large Lithuanian crowd.

[mountainballer]

Well of course it's clear to all of you that Greece lost this game on purpuse. :lol

yeah sure.
they are really good at loosing on purpose and still deliver a heartbreaker finish. of course they knew that France will hit the winning shot, when Spanoulis made the game tying 3 pointer 8 seconds before the end.:lol

[timaios]

Looks like he is stuck in read-only hell for good.

Nice win by the FNT. I wish I could have watched it. If they archive the games anywhere a link would be much appreciated.

I PM'd you.

[Slo spurs fan]

I PM'd you.

Da..a? Or somthing else?

[timaios]

yeah sure.
they are really good at loosing on purpose and still deliver a heartbreaker finish. of course they knew that France will hit the winning shot, when Spanoulis made the game tying 3 pointer 8 seconds before the end.:lol

IMHO the last thing the 2 teams wanted was an OT !!! :lol

[timaios]

Da..a? Or somthing else?

Something else... in your box. :toast

[Pero]

yeah sure.
they are really good at loosing on purpose and still deliver a heartbreaker finish. of course they knew that France will hit the winning shot, when Spanoulis made the game tying 3 pointer 8 seconds before the end.:lol

Well it had to look like they were trying to win. :D

[Slo spurs fan]

Something else... in your box. :toast

:toast

PS check PM

[duncan228]

Spurs pick keeps France unbeaten (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/09/spurs-pick-keep.html)
By Doug Pils
Express-News

Nando De Colo, one of the Spurs' second-round picks this year, hit the game-winning jumper as time expired to lead France to a 71-69 victory over Greece, giving Les Bleus first place in Group E and keeping them undefeated at the European basketball championships going into the quarterfinals.

De Colo scored all six of his points in the final 1:50. He hit two free throws with 21 seconds remaining to give France a 69-66 lead, but Greece's Vasileios Spanoulis tied the game on a 3-pointer with eight seconds left.

After a timeout, De Colo nailed the winning basket.

Alain Koffi led France with 14 points and six rebounds. Spurs point guard Tony Parker had 12 points, but didn't play in the fourth quarter. Ronny Turiaf, who hit two free throws to give France a 65-64 lead with 2:30 to go, and Yannick Bokolo each had 10 points.

France had by far its best free-throw shooting day of the tournament, making 18 of 22 (81.8 percent).

Spanoulis, who Spurs fans may remember as the player San Antonio allowed to return to Europe after Houston sent him here for Luis Scola, led Greece with 16 points.

France next plays on Thursday against the fourth-place team from Group F. Heading into games on Wednesday, Spain and Serbia are third and fourth in Group F at 2-2. Serbia faces Lithuania (0-4), while Spain meets Poland (1-3).

[duncan228]

Spurs' Parker rests before Euro quarterfinals (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/09/spurs-parker-re.html)
By Doug Pils
Express-News

Spurs point guard Tony Parker didn't play in crunch time of France's 71-69 victory over Greece on Tuesday, but that was Les Bleus coach Vincent Collet's plan.

Parker, who had played 30 minutes or more in four of the first five games of the European basketball championships, missed the entire fourth quarter. With France's spot in the quarterfinals already secure and Parker watching from the bench, Spurs draft pick Nando De Colo sank a turnaround jumper over Greece's Nikos Zisis for the winning basket as time expired.

Parker played 100 of a possible 120 minutes in the first three games. But in the past three, he's only been on the court for 79 minutes after logging 21 in Tuesday's win.

"We wanted to win this game, but also use a chance to give some rest to our main players before the deciding final round," Collett told EuroBasket2009.org. "We didn't want Tony Parker to play 38 minutes again."

That should make Spurs coach Gregg Popovich a little relieved.

France plays in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

[Bruno]

Nando's shot to win the game:
ejjor_ab3Ec

You can see all the joy of FNT after the win. :lol

[Pauleta14]

there is some manu in nando. He still needs to grow as a player but the talent is there.

+1

[benefactor]

I PM'd you.
:toast

[duncan228]

Parker watches as France beats Greece (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Parker_watches_as_France_beats_Greece.html)
Staff and wire reports - Express-News

While a current Spurs guard watched from the bench, a possible future Spurs guard won the game.

Nando De Colo, one of the Spurs’ second-round picks this year, hit a turnaround jumper as time expired to lead France to a 71-69 victory over Greece on Tuesday, giving Les Bleus first place in Group E and keeping them undefeated at 6-0 in the European basketball championships.

With France’s spot in the quarterfinals already secure and Spurs All-Star point guard Tony Parker watching from the bench, De Colo scored France’s final six points in the last 1:50 for his only points of the game. He hit two free throws with 21 seconds remaining to give France a 69-66 lead, but Greece’s Vasileios Spanoulis tied it on a 3-pointer with eight seconds left.

After a timeout, De Colo nailed the winning basket over Greece’s Nikos Zisis.

Parker didn’t play in the fourth quarter, but that was French coach Vincent Collet’s plan.

“We wanted to win this game but also use a chance to give some rest to our main players before the deciding final round,” Collet told EuroBasket2009.org.

“We didn’t want Tony Parker to play 38 minutes again.”

Parker played 30 minutes or more in four of the first five games of the European championships, and he was in for 100 of a possible 120 minutes in the first three. But in the past three, he’s played 79 minutes after logging 21 on Tuesday.

Alain Koffi led France with 14 points and six rebounds. Parker had 12 points. Ronny Turiaf, who hit two free throws to give France a 65-64 lead with 2:30 to go, and Yannick Bokolo each had 10 points.

France had by far its best free-throw shooting day of the tournament, making 18 of 22 (81.8 percent).

Spanoulis, who Spurs fans may remember as the player San Antonio allowed to return to Europe after Houston sent him here for Luis Scola, led Greece with 16 points.

France next plays on Thursday against the fourth-place team from Group F, which could be either Spain or Serbia.

Defending champion Russia edged Macedonia 71-69 to reach the quarterfinals. Center Timofey Mozgov had 25 points and 11 rebounds for Russia.

Croatia earned the fourth and final quarterfinal spot from Group E with its 70-68 win over Germany.

[sonic21]

Lithuania 37
Serbia 41

halftime

if serbia lose, France avoids spain in the QF

[ForeignFan]

56-49 fo Lithuania, 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter...

[romain.star]

To Spain or not top Spain?

that's the question...

[stéphane]

Spain Serbia won.
Glad we get to play Spain they're overrated compared to the level they showed in these championships.

[sonic21]

don't forget Poland, they could win :wow

[Pero]

That's practically impossible. Even if they play perfectly, which they would have to to beat Spain, I think the refs would help them to get over them.

[stéphane]

don't forget Poland, they could win :wow

Do they just have to win or do they have to win AND erase the global goal average difference? (would mean winning by more than 18pts)

[Pero]

Do they just have to win or do they have to win AND erase the global goal average difference? (would mean winning by more than 18pts)

Just win, that's the first tie-breaker.

[Slo spurs fan]

Are you serious? Serbia will play for better spot in the 1/4 final, Lithuania will play just for make-up in the standings. Serbia by at least 10 points is my prediction.

Final: Serbia-Lithuania 89:79 (+10)
:clap

[Bruno]

Final: Serbia-Lithuania 89:79 (+10)
:clap

Well, it was very close for most of the game before Serbia hit 6 3 pointer on 7 offensive possessions.

Your prediction that Lithuania wouldn't play hard and that it would be an easy game for Serbia was just wrong.

[Mel_13]

Nando's shot to win the game:
ejjor_ab3Ec

You can see all the joy of FNT after the win. :lol

From The Painted Area blog:

Though maybe the most memorable thing about this game was the peculiar decision of France's Coach Collet to leave Tony Parker on the bench for the entire 4th quarter in a tight game. Did Collet want to give his young reserve guards a taste of a pressurized situation? Or was it that he wouldn't have minded if the French finished in 2nd place in Group E to possibly avoid Spain. Spain is likely the #4 seed out of Group F, so winning Group E does have its disadvantages.

You started to wonder even more after the final buzzer when De Colo had a "Should I not have done that?" sheepish look on his face after his shot. Also odd that De Colo and the Frenchies didn't seem all that excited about their last-second victory. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but there were some curious things happenings.

http://thepaintedarea.blogspot.com/

[The_Game]

france will play spain in the quarters?

that sucks for france...going unbeaten then losing to Spain in the quarters..will suck for them. Spain will rise to the occasion they always do in the big games.

[sonic21]

didn't notice i had a french flag under my name.

thanks :toast

[Bruno]

+26 for Spain with 14 minutes left.

So it will be the worst case scenario for FNT: a not tired Spanish team.

Spain will be the clear favorite to win this game.

[duncan228]

Express-News Slideshow.

Tony Parker in Europe 2009

http://www.mysanantonio.com/slideshows/Tony_Parker_in_Europe_2009.html

[bobbybob0]

+26 for Spain with 14 minutes left.

So it will be the worst case scenario for FNT: a not tired Spanish team.

Spain will be the clear favorite to win this game.

That sucks, we're the best team in our group and we draw the toughest opponent from the other group :bang

[sonic21]

I'm hoping the game will be at 9 pm in France. Else i won't be able to watch it.

[completely deck]

Express-News Slideshow.

Tony Parker in Europe 2009

http://www.mysanantonio.com/slideshows/Tony_Parker_in_Europe_2009.html

:tu Thank you very much for this.

[Slo spurs fan]

Well, it was very close for most of the game before Serbia hit 6 3 pointer on 7 offensive possessions.

Your prediction that Lithuania wouldn't play hard and that it would be an easy game for Serbia was just wrong.

:wowWhen and where did I said that???

[will_spurs]

that sucks for france...going unbeaten then losing to Spain in the quarters..will suck for them. Spain will rise to the occasion they always do in the big games.

France also tends to rise to the occasion in big games, it's usually in games against weaker opponents that we underestimate them and end up having our asses kicked.

[Pero]

I think he means this:


Are you serious? Serbia will play for better spot in the 1/4 final, Lithuania will play just for make-up in the standings. Serbia by at least 10 points is my prediction.

It's not really that clear what exactly you meant and could be interpreted both ways.

[Bruno]

:wowWhen and where did I said that???

When your reaction to me saying "Lithuania could beat Serbia" is a "Are you serious? " following by Lithuania plays for nothing and Serbia will win by at least 10 points, it's hard to come to another conclusion that you are predicting an easy win for Serbia.

[ata]

+26 for Spain with 14 minutes left.

So it will be the worst case scenario for FNT: a not tired Spanish team.

Spain will be the clear favorite to win this game.

After the game Spain NT have to travel for more than 4,5 hours and they have game tomorrow (same for Serbian NT). Spain NT won't go to sleep before 2:00 a.m.

I doubt that they will be well rested. Schedule of tournament is really unfair for 3rd and 4th of group F.

[Bruno]

After the game Spain NT have to travel for more than 4,5 hours and they have game tomorrow (same for Serbian NT).

Lodz and Katowice are 190km away. I doubt the travel will be more than 3 hours long.

Do they have roads in Poland?

[Mel_13]

Nando didn't get the memo

[DPG21920]

That was an odd reaction to the game winner :lol. I did not even notice it live. But looking back and putting 2&2 together, it seems they did not want to win that game.

[Slo spurs fan]

When your reaction to me saying "Lithuania could beat Serbia" is a "Are you serious? " following by Lithuania plays for nothing and Serbia will win by at least 10 points, it's hard to come to another conclusion that you are predicting an easy win for Serbia.

Nah, I didn´t meant like that, but I was sure Serbia will win. Good luck in 1/4F.:toast

[Freeze]

Do they have roads in Poland?
:lol

[Bruno]

Nando didn't get the memo

In fact FNT decided at the half that they won't try to lose the game. Their logic was "Our goal is to win it all in this Eurobasket, so we likely will have to play Spain in QF, SF or final. We won't try to cheat."

The Greek coach, on the other hand, really asked his team to lose the game. When Spanoulis hit a 3 pointer to tie the game with 10 sec left, he was mad after him and benched him for the final play.

[ata]

Lodz and Katowice are 190km away. I doubt the travel will be more than 3 hours long.

Do they have roads in Poland?
My bad. Rechecked on map 24 - still shows 3,5 hours. There in no highway between Katowice and Lodz, and frankly, as far as I drove in Poland, roads are really so so

[Macca76]

I'm hoping the game will be at 9 pm in France. Else i won't be able to watch it.
Tha't's the case I just saw it on the FIBA's site.

[ata]

Go France, go - let us meet in finals

[Bruno]

The QF on the same side of the bracket than France is Turkey/Greece. :wow

Win or loss, the game after the Spain one will be damn hard. The only "good" news is, if FNT lose both game, they will directly be qualified for the WC if they win the game for the 7th/8th spot.

[eric365]

The winner of France/Spain will play against the winner of Greece/Turkey !

The top 4 team IMO for the same spot in final...

The FIBA system sucks :
With group of 4 teams (like in any other sport) instead of 6, all the games are important and the top 4 team go in semi final...

[DPG21920]

So that is their main goal, correct? They would like to win this tourney, but ultimately their goal is to qualify for the WC.

Hopefully Ian can make a comeback. I would like to see how he does in a big game. It would be nice to see him against Pau, although I know it is a stretch to expect him to play while Pau is playing or at all with his injury.

[eric365]

The QF on the same side of the bracket than France is Turkey/Greece. :wow

Win or loss, the game after the Spain one will be damn hard. The only "good" news is, if FNT lose both game, they will directly be qualified for the WC if they win the game for the 7th/8th spot.

Exactly, the other "good" thing is that we will not have to play both the greece and the turkey to win the Euro.

Going in final for the France is almost a gold medal guaranteed

[Bruno]

Exactly, the other "good" thing is that we will not have to play both the greece and the turkey to win the Euro.

Going in final for the France is almost a gold medal guaranteed

Well, Slovenia and Serbia plays damn well when they are in a good day.

I'm quite pessimistic about FNT chances. I don't see them at all beating Spain. If they don't finish 8th in this Euro, I will consider their summer as a successful one. Even if they finish 8th, it won't be a disaster because they should get a wild card for next year WC with Lithuania and Germany.

[Alain]

Exactly, the other "good" thing is that we will not have to play both the greece and the turkey to win the Euro.

Going in final for the France is almost a gold medal guaranteed

You should not discount Slovenia....

[sonic21]

spain is the clear favourite. This game reminds me of the one against Serbia in 2005.

Believe

[Milo]

Damn, you don't have much faith in the French team...
The FNT is the only one remaining undefeated, they keep playing better and better as a team, the bench got plenty of playing time, and TP did not have to play at his best level yet. I fail to see how Spain is a clear favorite on that one...

[Thompson]

For some reason on this particular thread I can only see up about page 41, even though it says the thread has 45 pages. This has happened a few times before; anyone else ever have this problem/know why it does this? I'm posting in part to see if it will force me into page 45.

...Nope, I guess the page count is just wrong.

[Henke]

Bonne chance guys.Fuck them!:toast

[silverblackfan]

The page count is definitely messed up. On the other hand, this is one long thread too.

[Stump]

For some reason on this particular thread I can only see up about page 41, even though it says the thread has 45 pages. This has happened a few times before; anyone else ever have this problem/know why it does this? I'm posting in part to see if it will force me into page 45.

...Nope, I guess the page count is just wrong.
The page count gets messed up once the admins start deleting posts, and KBP had a lot of crap to get rid of.

[mathbzh]

Tough game for France, but I believe...
If we can play defense for 40 minutes, we can win that game.
Remember two years ago Spain (@home) was supposed to crush Russia.

About Greece, maybe they outsmart themselves. If they want to win it all, they will have to win 3 games in 3 days against 3 of the best teams of the tournament.
At least France would have a better schedule.

[Bruno]

Some news about Ian in today's newspaper: he has practiced with the team yesterday and is ready to play for tonight game. He likely will only play against Spain in case of foul troubles for french bigmen.

[Brazil]

^nice to know thanks

[romain.star]

Tough game for France, but I believe...
If we can play defense for 40 minutes, we can win that game.
Remember two years ago Spain (@home) was supposed to crush Russia.

About Greece, maybe they outsmart themselves. If they want to win it all, they will have to win 3 games in 3 days against 3 of the best teams of the tournament.
At least France would have a better schedule.

With a huge Turiaf and a great defense, I believe in our chances too

[Texas_Ranger]

I hope France wins! I can't watch Pau anymore.

[sonic21]

Navarro seems to be the only one who's played at his true level so far. If it's still the case, i like the french team's chance. If other players step up then it will be close.

[polandprzem]

ohh new flags

At last I will have a chance and time to watch France. It should be a nice game today.
It's unfortunate that those teams are playing in QF

[romain.star]

Navarro seems to be the only one who's played at his true level so far. If it's still the case, i like the french team's chance. If other players step up then it will be close.

The big men match up is clearly not in our favor tonight. Against Gasol brothers and Reyes, a J. Noah would have been more than highly appreciated

ps: how do you do to have a 4 300 000 tetris score??????

[eric365]

We have no chance if Turiaf is quickly in foul trouble tonight

[ginopark]

Yep! we need to keep ronny out of foul trouble and a big game from our role player.

[sonic21]

Don't worry, Ian will be in the rotation for this game...

[manufan10]

I hope Ian gets some playing time. I want to see how he plays the game. What number is he so I can keep a look out for him?

[sonic21]

I hope Ian gets some playing time. I want to see how he plays the game. What number is he so I can keep a look out for him?

8 during the qualifying tournament. Don't know if he has the same number for the Eurobasket.

[DPG21920]

Don't worry, Ian will be in the rotation for this game...

Saying the refs will be a major factor in favor of Spain :lol

[sonic21]

Saying the refs will be a major factor in favor of Spain :lol

well yeah, i can see turiaf and pietrus in foul trouble because of pau crying like a little girl everytime he attempts a shot.

[benefactor]

What time does the game start here?

[Mel_13]

2 pm

[benefactor]

Thanks. :tu

I'm off today so I will actually get to watch one.

[Slomo]

well yeah, i can see turiaf and pietrus in foul trouble because of pau crying like a little girl everytime he attempts a shot.

http://www.cikava.com/gallery/albums/Photoshop_madness/quasimodo.jpg

[benefactor]

:lol

[tp2021]

Love it Slomo

[sonic21]

:lol nice

[benefactor]

Link anyone?

[The_Game]

http://www.justin.tv/jvasqblas3

[ata]

good defence on both sides, very nervous in offence
Tony with great drive

go France, go

[JiggaWhat99]

espn360.com

pretty good quality

[Pero]

France is getting murdered.

[Pero]

25-15 after 1st for Spain.

[ata]

C'monn France.. you can do better. Hit some basket - Spain have too many lucky shots

[timaios]

Spain is hungry, France is asleep. :bang:bang:bang

[manufan10]

France seemed a little lazy with the ball.

[velik_m]

France playing too static on offense.

[Pero]

Spain up by 16.

[timaios]

This is ridiculous, France is not playing at all !!!

[ata]

WTF - so stupid turnovers are not to see at any lokal U-16 team

[manufan10]

France is being to careless with the ball. If they don't have better ball control, they're not going to win this game.

[ata]

Parker is forcing lay-ups

[kace]

Pau Gasol is killing our come back. We have no one to defend him.

[The_Game]

france have a bunch of midgets pau is scoring with ease

[timaios]

So, we saw the schoolgirls French national team in the 1st half.
Can we see the real team in the 2nd half ??? :depressed

[urunobili]

:depressed kill the Spaniards come on guys!

[DPG21920]

Pau is owning right now.

[Kobayagi]

This is exactly the kind of scenario I'm afraid it's going to happen to our team tomorrow. Unreasonably poor performance after dominating in the preliminary rounds. :pctoss

[Pero]

This is exactly the kind of scenario I'm afraid it's going to happen to our team tomorrow. Unreasonably poor performance after dominating in the preliminary rounds. :pctoss

Well, we had more difficult opponents, so maybe that'll help.

[velik_m]

France is done.

[kace]

France is done.

yep. seems over. :depressed

[DPG21920]

Man, when France is playing bad, their deficiencies are glaring. When Spain plays poorly, they still look like a good team, but France makes you question them. Hopefully they come ready to play next game.

They were playing very well up until this game.

[polandprzem]

Wow France and Tony is showing nothing.
Well there were few good plays but they can't stop Spain.

It's over in a span of 10 minutes it's almost imposible to ge the win losing by 20 b4 last Q

[polandprzem]

And they are getting destryoed inside over and over again

[kace]

putain, t'as pas le droit boris :bang

[kace]

Pau is too good for our defenders. as simple as that.

[DPG21920]

France was making a nice run and the Diaw made an inexcusable turnover. Killed the momentum.

[Pero]

I don't get why Parker is still on the floor. He sucks and it's over anyway.

[timvp]

De Colo shouldn't have made that shot. That was very Michael Finley-esque of him.

[polandprzem]

putain, t'as pas le droit boris :bang

nie przeklinaj

[Pero]

De Colo shouldn't have made that shot. That was very Michael Finley-esque of him.

When did Finley make a shot he wasn't supposed to?

[duncan228]

France struggling against Spain (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/09/france-struggli.html)
By Doug Pils - Express-News

As many figured, the sleeping giant of Spain woke up Thursday.

Pau Gasol, Rudy Fernandez and company were whipping Tony Parker and France 73-52 after three quarters in the quarterfinals of the European basketball championships. Gasol led the way with 24 points, while Parker struggled. The Spurs point guard was 1 of 7 from the field with six points and two assists.

France had been undefeated thus far at the EuroBasket, while Spain was 4-2 with losses to Serbia and Turkey.

The winner advances to the semifinals, while the best the loser can finish is fifth.

[timvp]

When did Finley make a shot he wasn't supposed to?

Last year when he hit those game-winners to force Spurs vs. Mavs in the first round when the Spurs could have instead played the too green Blazers.

[Pero]

Last year when he hit those game-winners to force Spurs vs. Mavs in the first round when the Spurs could have instead played the too green Blazers.

Ah. :lol

[kace]

France was making a nice run and the Diaw made an inexcusable turnover. Killed the momentum.

exactly. he killed a fast break for coming back to 9 points with more than 3 minutes to play.

TP sucked badly in this game, when we needed him so hard.

and the fact of the game is PAu killing us. He looked like wilt tonight, a man playing against kids. We need Noah or/and others bigs for the world championship.

let's try to secure at least the seventh spot now to have a direct access to the world championship.

[polandprzem]

timvp is around?

[Pero]

exactly. he killed a breakfast for coming back to 9 points with more than 3 minutes to play.


Sorry but :lmao

I think France should be able to get at least 7th place.

[kace]

Sorry but :lmao

I think France should be able to get at least 7th place.

:lol

don't need to be sorry. that was hilarious. and i don't think boris wasted many breakfast lately considering his fat ass :lol

[DPG21920]

I am glad to see KBP is not around. He would be gloating about France should have tanked to avoid Spain. Just a bad match up for France and France played poorly as well. When you have a bad match up, you must play at a high level to give yourself a chance.

[urunobili]

http://www.marca.com called it an exhibition...

[kace]

De Colo shouldn't have made that shot. That was very Michael Finley-esque of him.

that's sadly true. maybe we saw ourselves better than we were. there's still room to make it a satisfying tournament for us.

[Bruno]

The loss is logical and showed FNT true level. FNT isn't a top tier team in Europe right now.
The 6-0 record before that game was just they've mainly faced bad to average teams.

Next game is against the loser of Turkey/Greece on Saturday. It won't be an easy one.

[polandprzem]

The loss is logical and showed FNT true level. FNT isn't a top tier team in Europe right now.
The 6-0 record before that game was just they've mainly faced bad to average teams.

Next game is against the loser of Turkey/Greece on Saturday. It won't be an easy one.

I wish more polish guys had the same perspective looking at their team.

[timaios]

The loss is logical and showed FNT true level. FNT isn't a top tier team in Europe right now.
The 6-0 record before that game was just they've mainly faced bad to average teams.

Next game is against the loser of Turkey/Greece on Saturday. It won't be an easy one.

So if i follow you, that game showed the true level of Tony Parker.

[sonic21]

we lost on purpose to avoid turkey in the SF, no big deal.

[Pero]

So if i follow you, that game showed the true level of Tony Parker.

Duh, didn't you know he sucks and that V-Spam is the best euro PG? :lol

[Pero]

we lost on purpose to avoid turkey in the sf, no big deal.

lol!

[kobyz]

Rubio out played Tony Parker!

[Bruno]

So if i follow you, that game showed the true level of Tony Parker.

With a good TP, we would have lost by 10 and not by 20.

This game showed some of the limitations of FNT. The most glaring one was the lack of quality in the paint.

[sonic21]

to sum up: well done greece!!

[kace]

The loss is logical and showed FNT true level. FNT isn't a top tier team in Europe right now.
The 6-0 record before that game was just they've mainly faced bad to average teams.

Next game is against the loser of Turkey/Greece on Saturday. It won't be an easy one.

i don't think that was France's true level. we were pretty bad.

but Spain is a better team than us, clearly.

but with these games together and Noah (or Mahinmi or Petro, who knows) inside, we could be way better next year.

[timaios]

Tony Parker 1/8 --- 6 pts
Pau Gasol 11/13 --- 28 pts

28-6 = 22

France lose by 20 pts.

That's the big difference of this game.
Pau had the game of his life and Parker one of his worst... :depressed

[DPG21920]

It is much easier for Spain to guard Parker than for France to guard Pau. France has almost 0 shooters to space the floor and Spain have guys with size that can do an adequate job of defending Parker.

No one can guard Pau and even if they double, he can find one of Spain's many shooters.

[kace]

Tony Parker 1/8 --- 6 pts
Pau Gasol 11/13 --- 28 pts

28-6 = 22

France lose by 20 pts.

That's the big difference of this game.
Pau had the game of his life and Parker one of his worst... :depressed


you play this game ten times, with these lineups, and tony will probably have nine better games than this one.

but Pau could score 25 points at a high % and grab rebounds against us any night. it wasn't the game of this life. it was another day at the office for him against that kind of defenders. we had no one to defend him.

[sonic21]

spain is a lock now. The last 3 times, France always lost against the winner of the Euro.

[duncan228]

Spain routs France in European quarterfinals (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/09/spain-routs-fra.html)
By Doug Pils - Express-News

Pau Gasol and Rudy Fernandez squashed France's fourth-quarter comeback bid, combining to score the game's final nine points in Spain's 86-66 quarterfinal victory in the European basketball championships Thursday in Katowice, Poland.

France had cut into a 21-point deficit after three quarters with a 14-4 run to start the fourth quarter. Spain led 77-66 after Antoine Diot hit a 3-pointer with 4:55 remaining.

After that, Fernandez and Gasol each followed with a layup, Gasol slammed an alley-oop pass from Fernandez, who then ended the scoring with a 3-pointer.

Spurs point guard Tony Parker sat for most of France's fourth-quarter run before coming in to get the assist on Diot's three. Parker struggled, making just 1 of 8 shots with three assists and three turnovers.

Gasol, the Lakers star center, finished with 28 points, while Fernandez of the Trail Blazers had 16. Ronny Turiaf (Warriors) led France with 12 points.

Spain advances to the EuroBasket semifinals on Saturday against the winner of Friday's game between Greece and Turkey.

France gets the loser of that game on Saturday at 5 a.m. If France wins Saturday, it earns an automatic bid into the 2010 World Championships. Since France entered Thursday's game with a 6-0 record at the EuroBasket, it's thought that it will get one of the at-large bids even if it loses Saturday.

[Bruno]

We should keep in mind where was the team 2 months ago. If they end up directly qualified for the WC, it would be a successful summer.

BTW, a little interview of Ian (in French) where he is talking about his injury:
http://lenvoyespecial.blogspot.com/2009/09/katowice-eurobasket-mahinmi-limpossible.html

Ian is basically saying that he is very careful to avoid aggravating the groin injury.

[timaios]

you play this game ten times, with these lineups, and tony will probably have nine better games than this one.

but Pau could score 25 points at a high % and grab rebounds against us any night. it wasn't the game of this life. it was another day at the office for him against that kind of defenders. we had no one to defend him.

I don't agree. There was no life, no heart, no fire in the 1st half from French team. It was easy for Spain. France didn't show up.
It was a very very strange game. France played like there was absolutely no chance to beat Spain team.
Then all the confidence was on the Spain side...

[Ce match me rappelle la phrase de Patrice Evra après la victoire de Manchester United sur Arsenal en demi finale de la champions league "Onze hommes contre onze enfants." Ce soir c'était 5 hommes contre 5 enfants.]

And when was the last time Tony scored only 1 basket in 32min !!!
Seriously... when ??? :depressed

[kace]

I don't agree. There was no life, no heart, no fire in the 1st half from French team. It was easy for Spain. France didn't show up.
It was a very very strange game. France played like there was absolutely no chance to beat Spain team.
Then all the confidence was on the Spain side...

[Ce match me rappelle la phrase de Patrice Evra après la victoire de Manchester United sur Arsenal en demi finale de la champions league "Onze hommes contre onze enfants." Ce soir c'était 5 hommes contre 5 enfants.]

And when was the last time Tony scored only 1 basket in 32min !!!
Seriously... when ??? :depressed

you didn't read what i posted. i'm not saying we couldn't have played better, i've said exactly the contrary. and i've just said in the post you quoted that Tony wouldn't have such a bad game if we made it again. that's clear.


but Pau, on the other side, would dominate this french lineup anytime. anytime. IMO.

[Alain]

A few things:

TP wanted to lose against Greece. That's why he did not play in the last quarter, pouted since then (not talking to medias) and was out of his game today.

Thanks to the Bulls. Noah would have been great in this game with his size, enthousiasm and intensity.

France needed a real shooting guard (MP?). Batum is better at SF and Nando is way too green for such games.

Boris should question his commitment to NT. Being fit is the least you can do.

Ronny is a great guy, too bad he has the IQ of a tuna fish (too many dumb fouls and mental mistakes).

You can't let Pau do his thing one on one on undersized big men. You got to send help and give open shoots, hoping Spain perimeter players are in a bad day.

Spain adjusted well to the officials blindness, or is it the officials who adjusted well to Spain over agressivity?

Only one foul to Pau in 28 minutes? Come on!

Being grabbed 3 times or more on every drive won't help players who rely on speed and athletism.

France still have room for improvement, they just need stability and a complete roster. Hope they'll have it next year.

[kace]

A few things:

TP wanted to lose against Greece. That's why he did not play in the last quarter, pouted since then (not talking to medias) and was out of his game today.
that's clear. and he's right about that game against Greece. bad choice from the french staff. still, that's nothing close to an excuse for his bad game. he sucked, that happens, that's it.

Thanks to the Bulls. Noah would have been great in this game with his size, enthousiasm and intensity.
Yep. i think we all agree.

France needed a real shooting guard (MP?). Batum is better at SF and Nando is way too green for such games.
we don't have pure shooters, so that doesn't help tony's drives. but we have a lot of players who can score from outside. just not pure shooters except maybe De Colo.

Boris should question his commitment to NT. Being fit is the least you can do.
i like Boris. he's just not a winner.

Ronny is a great guy, too bad he has the IQ of a tuna fish (too many dumb fouls and mental mistakes).
i like Ronny. just not a good thing when he's by a very wide margin your better big. and he's having an overall great campaign with the french NT. a great one, except the very last games with his fouls.

You can't let Pau do his thing one on one on undersized big men. You got to send help and give open shoots, hoping Spain perimeter players are in a bad day.
yes. exactly. why not more double team ?

Spain adjusted well to the officials blindness, or is it the officials who adjusted well to Spain over agressivity?

Only one foul to Pau in 28 minutes? Come on!

Being grabbed 3 times or more on every drive won't help players who rely on speed and athletism.
i thought officiating was very hard for us. is it the many NBA players who aren't used to it ? i don't know but officials never helped us, even if they couldn't do anything to save us tonight.

France still have room for improvement, they just need stability and a complete roster. Hope they'll have it next year.
i think so.

[Pero]

So, when will Foirest's kids grow up so France'll get some players who can shoot? :)

[sonic21]

TP wanted to lose against Greece. That's why he did not play in the last quarter, pouted since then (not talking to medias) and was out of his game today.


they're stupid though, they should have talked about winning or losing on purpose before the game.

[Alain]

So, when will Foirest's kids grow up so France'll get some players who can shoot? :)

Edwin Jackson

[Pero]

Edwin Jackson

What? He named his kid Edwin Jackson? :p:

Seriously though, who is that?

[timaios]

http://www.lequipe.fr/Basket/breves2009/20090917_235712_-ils-ont-mieux-joue-que-nous.html

«Ils ont mieux joué que nous»
Meilleur marqueur des Bleus depuis le début de l'Euro, Tony Parker reconnaît avoir été piégé par la défense espagnole. «Pau Gasol a été très, très fort», avoue-t-il. Entretien.

«Tony Parker, c'est une énorme déception. La défaite et aussi la manière non ?
Les Espagnols ont été plus forts que nous ce soir, ils nous ont dominé à l'intérieur. Et Pau Gasol a été très fort. C'est la raison du match : ils nous ont dominé à l'intérieur, ils ont été agressifs en défense, et nous on n'a pas su imposer notre jeu. Ils ont coupé toutes les passes. Ils ont mieux joué que nous ce soir.

Vous même avez été en difficulté, souvent avec Ricky Rubio dans le short. L'équipe aurait-elle pu vous aider un peu plus ?
Non, c'était leur stratégie, ils voulaient me forcer à rester dans un quart du terrain. Et donc c'était difficile d'enchaîner les systèmes, parce que je ne voulais pas tomber à ne faire que du pick and roll, et c'est ce qu'ils m'ont forcé à faire. C'est bien défendu. Et avec cette combinaison où ils nous dominent aussi à l'intérieur, avec Gasol qui a été vraiment très, très fort, c'est difficile à négocier car on n'a jamais eu de contre-attaque. Et pour le jeu européen, tu as besoin de points à l'intérieur. C'est pour ça que l'Espagne domine depuis quelques années, parce qu'ils ont des joueurs forts à l'intérieur. Je sais ce que c'est quand tu es fort à l'intérieur, j'ai la même chose en NBA. Ça ouvre tout.

Les matches de classement vous inquiètent-ils ?
Oui, mais maintenant, c'est différent d'il y a deux ans. Il y a deux ans, on était vraiment déçus parce qu'on pensait qu'on était plus forts. Alors que là, ce soir, il n'y a rien à dire. Maintenant, c'est à nous de rebondir et d'assurer la qualification sur les prochains matches. Pour qu'on puisse utiliser ce vécu pour le championnat du monde. Il faut prendre de l'expérience, et continuer à progresser pour le championnat du monde.»

Propos recueillis par Liliane TREVISAN, à Katowice.
Retrouvez l'intégralité de l'interview de Tony Parker dans L'Equipe du vendredi 18 septembre

[Alain]

, even if they couldn't do anything to save us tonight.

Absolutely. But it was very frustrating anyway (was waiting to see TP screaming in the face of Belosevic and get a T, but he was too desillusioned to even do that).

[timaios]

http://www.lequipe.fr/Basket/breves2009/20090918_000610_collet-comme-un-boxeur-ko.html

Collet : «Comme un boxeur KO»
«Déjà jouer l'Espagne n'est pas facile, mais en plus c'était une grande équipe d'Espagne et nous, nous avons fait un match très moyen», a résumé Vincent Collet après la défaite des Bleus en quarts de finale.

«Vincent Collet, comment expliquer ce match à sens unique ?
On a fait l'entame qu'il ne fallait pas faire, en mettant tout de suite sur les rails l'équipe d'Espagne par nos balles perdues. Ce sont des balles qui leur permettent de courir, de mettre des tirs. Quand ensuite, on court derrière une équipe d'Espagne qui prend confiance, ca devient vite mission impossible, surtout avec la partie exceptionnelle de Pau Gasol, qui a vraiment survolé les débats malgré les efforts de mes joueurs intérieurs, qui se sont battus avec leurs armes.

N'y avait-il pas la possibilité de reprendre le dessus sur ces Espagnols ?
Quand vous être acculés comme ça, dès le départ, c'est comme un boxeur KO. Le temps de reprendre vos esprits, le mal est fait. C'est très dur de revenir, il faut des petits signaux positifs, mais on ne les avait pas. On voyait bien que les Espagnols étaient sur un nuage . Je ne sais pas s'ils seront à ce niveau-là jusqu'au bout mais si c'est le cas, je pense qu'ils iront au bout. Déjà, jouer l'Espagne n'est pas facile mais en plus c'était une grande équipe d'Espagne et nous, nous avons fait un match très moyen.

La véritable défaite de l'équipe de France n'a-t-elle pas été de tomber sur l'Espagne en quarts ?
J'ai trouvé la Serbie quand même pas mal avant donc il faut être très prudent avec ça. Vous avez peut-être raison mais on ne va pas refaire l'histoire. Là, on est tombé sur une équipe d'Espagne exceptionnelle alors qu'elle aurait peu être moyenne. Il faut acepter le verdict. Ce qu'on peut regretter, c'est que l'Espagne n'ait pas commencé son Euro dès le début. Normalement, en ayant fair ce qu'on a fait, on n'aurait jamais dû avoir à l'affonter en quart de finale. Mais que pouvait-on y faire ? Ce n'est pas de notre faute s'ils ont commencé l'Euro en claudiquant.

L'équipe pourrait-elle faiblir pour les matches de classement ?
Bien que jouant contre une équipe très forte, on s'est accroché. C'est le point "positif" de cette soirée. On aurait pu partir très loin parce que tout allait dans leur sens et pas grand chose dans le notre. Malgré tout, on est revenu à moins onze alors qu'on savait bien qu'en faisant tous ces efforts, il y avait peu de chances qu'on puisse aboutir. Mais malgré tout, on les a fait. J'espère qu'on va se remobiliser. On a encore un objectif à atteindre, c'est se qualifier pour le Championnat du monde. Il faut qu'on gagne au moins un match et si possible le prochain. On va tout faire pour ça.» X.C. à Katowice

[Alain]

What? He named his kid Edwin Jackson? :p:

Seriously though, who is that?

Edwin Jackson is the son of Skeeter Jackson, an US player who came in France in the eighties and choosed to stay. He's a pure shooter, won several medals with the youth NT (along Antoine Diot) and was there with Les bleus during preparation and friendly games.
I saw him play with the U19 (bronze medal at the world ship 2007 in Serbia) and I was really impressed by his ability to shoot fade aways from 3pt line.
But don't talk too much about him as the Spurs will try to grab him with a second round pick next year.

[Bruno]

TP wanted to lose against Greece. That's why he did not play in the last quarter, pouted since then (not talking to medias) and was out of his game today.


I'm not sure TP wanted to tank the game against Greece. The reason why he didn't play in the last quarter of Greece was because Collet wanted to rest his main players for that game.
It will be interesting to know why TP didn't talk to the press. I find that strange. Maybe it's because he wanted to loose against Greece, maybe not.



Boris should question his commitment to NT. Being fit is the least you can do.

Boris isn't more fat than he was this year with Charlotte. Boris should question his commitment to basketball.
Even fat, Boris is still a good player. However, he must plays PF like he did in NBA and not SF. Collet didn't have the choice this year given all the SG/SF unavailable (Pietrus, Diarra, Gelabale or evne Foirest).

[Alain]

Boris isn't more fat than he was this year with Charlotte. Boris should question his commitment to basketball.
Even fat, Boris is still a good player. However, he must plays PF like he did in NBA and not SF. Collet didn't have the choice this year given all the SG/SF unavailable (Pietrus, Diarra, Gelabale or evne Foirest).

Boris is the most complete and clever player you can dream of, but now he can't dribble or drive anymore without commiting a turnover :(

With the possible addition of MP and Noah, who should be out of the starting five?