German basketball players furiously defuse France
What a Power Display: Germany's Basketball World Champions Shred France and Wunderkind Victor Wembanyama. The First Three Quarters Were a Class Apart. In the Quarterfinals, Germany Gets Out of the Way of Top Favorite USA.
Led by a bear-strength Franz Wagner, the German basketballers furiously dispelled France's super talent Victor Wembanyama and set a big exclamation mark on their mission for an Olympic medal. The already previously qualified world champions humiliated the host on Friday in the cauldron of Lille with 85:71 (48:27) - and secured themselves as a deserved group winner an excellent starting position for the final round in Paris.
"We've taken a step forward," said captain and flag bearer Dennis Schröder on ARD: "It was a very good game from us. I haven't seen such an atmosphere in a long time. The French are playing with heart and soul. Our team is built on taking that positively and giving everything."
USA Only for the Grand Finale?
Franz Wagner and captain and flag bearer Dennis Schröder (both 26 points) led the Germans as the best scorers to their third win in the third preliminary round game, NBA young star Wembanyama scored 14 points. Before moving to the Olympic Village in Paris, the team underscored its ambitions for a medal not only with this remarkable success but also secured an advantage for the quarter-finals on Tuesday, which France reached as the second of group B.
With the victory against the vice-European champion, Germany is set as one of the two best teams of the group phase for the draw of the round of the last eight - they will thus be given supposedly easier opponents and cannot meet until the final. Currently, only the Canadians have 3:0 wins, and on Saturday, gold favorite USA with superstar LeBron James can still catch up. Consequently, Germany could keep the Americans at bay until the very end.
Sizzling Atmosphere in Lille
In front of 27,000 ecstatic spectators at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, game three of the German-French "play-off series" took place. In preparation, the DBB team first suffered a 66:90 defeat without Daniel Theis and Franz and Moritz Wagner, before the German revenge (70:65) was achieved in the second test without the ill Wembanyama. Almost exactly a month later, it was only about first place in the group, but the air was still thick.
In an atmosphere worthy of a Champions League football match, the Germans restricted Wembanyama's space early on and led the opponent in phases. From an incredibly focused defense that only allowed "Wemby" four points in the first half, Germany played into a frenzy. Schröder, Franz Wagner, or even Johannes Voigtmann hit absurd threes, seven of 13 attempts went in - the result was a 21-point lead at halftime.
Even afterwards, the Germans remained focused. Although the French found their three-point shot better, Wagner and Co. kept the lead stable. The NBA pro of Orlando Magic lined up one highlight after another, his monster dunk with bonus free throw to 67:44 reminiscent of the raw power of a Giannis Antetokounmpo. In the final quarter, France fought back under the cheers of the fans, Isaia Cordinier scored multiple times - but he could not prevent the German group victory.
The Olympic Games 2024 in Paris will undoubtedly be an exciting event for German basketball, as they have already secured an excellent starting position after their impressive performance in the group stage. With their victory over France in the preliminary rounds, Germany has positioned themselves as one of the top teams, potentially avoiding a clash with USA until the final.
The overall performance of Germany in the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris will definitely be influenced by their strong display against France, particularly the outstanding performance of Franz Wagner and captain Dennis Schröder.
