France eliminates them from the Basketball World Cup

11-09-19.-There are no more dream teams left. Not even small vigils at the time of the nap. The United States has long since left behind the Dream Team qualifier, but now it has become the set of nightmares, Marca.com newspaper reported. Those who will have thousands of compatriots to digest the first defeat of the national team in 13 years.

A stumble as deserved as unexpected before a France that always kept Popovich's pupils at bay until he gave them the coup de grace in the last minutes to prevail by 79-89 and thus leave the Americans out of the fight for medals that seemed insured 'a priori'.

The drama that began in Las Vegas with up to 17 defections from the national team was consumed in Donnguan in one of the worst games that are reminiscent of the combined stars and stripes. A party in which they barely exhibited their virtues, as had been their defense until now, and yes their many flaws with meaningless attacks in which individualities prevailed before the collective. Something strange in a team led from the bench by Popovich and Steve Kerr.

In that field the United States continues to have some of the best players in the world and in this case it was the turn of Donovan Mitchell, who embodied on the court the category that is assumed in the Jazz. His 29 points were the salvation table to which the American team was held during much of the crash. However, the Jazz player disappeared in the last quarter and the United States lost its beacon in attack, leaving everything in the hands of a crazy Kemba, an erratic Smart from the free throw and a willing but ineffective Brown.

The opposite happened in France. Those of Collet survived in the first half thanks to the success of an Evan Fournier who seemed to have an idyll with triple since he jumped on the court. The Magic player decided to challenge Mitchell to a duel in the sun and did not lose his face to the challenge during two first quarters of madness. And when the Orlando player deflated the witness was taken by Nando De Colo, accurate from 4.60, and a good Frank Ntikilina who appeared when he was most demanded to buckle the game and the great surprise of the World Cup.

However, none of these names could shade a giant who endorsed the game from the start. Gobert grew even bigger and knocked down the American towers (Brook and Turner were not for these purposes) to dominate with an unthinkable authority in other editions of these international championships, when the United States presented selections A, B or C, which earned them Keep dominating the world. Until now.