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Brian Windhorst, ESPN Senior Writer
PARIS — Players walked aimlessly around the floor with their hands on their heads. The coaching staff linked arms in a circle and jumped in collective joy. There were hugs. There were tears. A veteran leader shed his jersey and triumphantly did a victory lap in front of an adoring crowd that refused to leave.
Team France basked in its semifinal victory over Germany on Thursday night as if it was already getting a trophy. But what it had actually won was a moment, a chance to face Team USA in the gold medal game Saturday (3 p.m. ET/noon PT) on the banks of the Seine in the French capital.
“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” Victor Wembanyama said.
“To play in the Olympic final in Paris,” coach Vincent Collet said in French, “c’est un rêve.”
It’s a dream.
The French team had been dealing with some turmoil. Evan Fournier, who now has photos being displayed sans jersey in newspapers across the country, had a public spat with Collet over tactics.
Collet essentially called out Wembanyama, his most important player, for not passing enough. And in an elimination game against Canada, the coach radically changed the starting lineup, benching Les Bleus legend Rudy Gobert for all but three minutes.
The French lost four times in pre-Olympic games, barely made the medal round after a miracle and mildly controversial four-point play that bailed them out of what looked like a sure loss against Japan, and were absolutely crushed the first time they played Germany in pool play.
All of that is now gone. Team USA will be facing a red-hot team playing on its home soil on an incredible roll. Collet’s lineup changes have unlocked a new energy and inspired Fournier, who lost his starting job but has responded with several clutch shots.
France first upset Canada, maybe the stunner of the tournament thus far, with a masterful performance with the new lineup. Then it outplayed the favored Germans, the defending World Cup champions who had won 13 consecutive games dating to 2022. All in front of a rowdy crowd with bleu, blanc et rouge seemingly painted on every cheek.
“The crowd was incredible,” Team USA coach Steve Kerr said. “Everybody was just bouncing around, and I literally took my phone out and I videoed the crowd because it was so special just to see the energy and the enthusiasm. And obviously it’ll be even louder Saturday night, and I can’t wait. I think it’s going to be one of the most fun games I’ll ever be a part of.”
“Fun” is one way to put it.
This is a rematch of the 2021 Olympic final in Tokyo, where the U.S. secured a narrow 87-82 victory. The French had beaten the Americans in pool play in Japan, ending Team USA’s 25-game Olympic win streak that dated to Beijing in 2008.
When USA Basketball built this roster, which focused on extra size by recruiting Joel Embiid to the team in addition to bringing back former gold medalists Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo, France was one of the teams it had in mind.
With Wembanyama and Gobert, France has the ability to play ultra big — plus it has athletic forwards Guerschon Yabusele and Mathias Lessort. Their defense was critical in beating Germany, which scored 25 points in the first quarter of the semifinal but then managed just 25 total in the second and third quarters combined.
The French no doubt took notice of the success Serbia had during the middle of Team USA’s semifinal victory, when its used its twin bigs, Nikola Jokic and Nikola Milutinov. But over the past two games, France has gone away from playing so big, as Gobert has largely given up his playing time and Wembanyama has moved into the starting center role.
The smaller and faster team is playing with much more force, especially with defensive physicality. Yabusele, who moved into the starting lineup for Gobert, and Lessort have made a significant impact with their energy that has endeared them to the French crowd.
“It’s been very impressive to see their team evolve, change styles on the fly,” Kerr said. “What jumps out on tape is just how hard they’re playing at both ends. And so we have to be prepared for that physicality and that force, and we have to not only match that but exceed that. And that’s the challenge.”
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Collet has continued to lean into playing small, swapping in former backup guard Isaïa Cordinier in place of Fournier in the starting lineup. Just a role player for the first few games, Cordinier has been a stunning difference-maker with his energy and shooting in the backcourt, where France historically has been weaker.
Over the past two games Cordinier is averaging 18 points and has shot 6-of-10 on 3-pointers. Kerr said Friday that he’s been a player they’ve been doing some extra prep work on after his emergence this past week in Paris.
The Americans will likely have to rely on a flexible game plan, one that can be prepared for the French to stay small or go big. This is where having Adebayo, Davis and LeBron James, all of whom can guard multiple different big man positions, gives the U.S. some advantages.
No matter the X’s and O’s, however, after being immersed in the country for weeks and seeing how French athletes have responded to their home crowds across sports during an impressive Olympic showing, Team USA is very aware of the challenge.
“You expect them to play the game of their life because they’re going to have the home-court adrenaline,” Steph Curry said Friday, a day after he put up 36 points in the comeback victory over Serbia. “They’re riding a big momentum after these last two games. You got to expect them to play great, but we expect that from ourselves as well.”