[crowd chanting]
[commentator] Not sure you're gonna find much more energy for a basketball game
than what we're about to see.
2-0 France, 2-0 Germany,
in group play action.
Winner wins the group.
Both of these teams in the running for a top seed next week in Paris.
Schröder with a steal, and he'll take it coast to coast for the bucket.
[tense music building]
Schröder, kick it. Wagner, three ball…
Money! He's feeling it early.
Germany looking to extend its lead.
[all exclaiming]
[commentator] Wagner just put it on his head.
Germany, so far, really taking it to France.
[in French] Go, let's go!
Guys, positive, everyone positive.
Let's go, let's go!
[commentator in English] Germany leads the host country by 21.
It's almost hard to believe.
- [tense music fades] - [subdued crowd noise]
[Batum in French] No, why are we here? What do we want?
We want the gold medal?
We don't know what we want.
We're being taken apart.
No one can get open.
No one can score.
We get screens in our faces all the time.
They switch everything. No one responds.
We push each other in half-court. We don't know how to attack.
We don't know how to get out of a pick'n'roll.
Yes, we want the gold medal at the Olympics. My ass!
We got hammered last year. That hasn't changed this year.
We're doing the same thing this year.
They're laughing at us.
And nobody's reacting.
We're doing fine.
We ask for the ball. It's a wall.
It's just one-on-one.
The ball is moved three times. Three dunks.
Play a strike.
Move the ball. Swing.
We are not like this team, we're better. It's not right.
Whenever we win, it's against teams below us through fucking luck.
If we want to beat this kind of team, we have to play together.
Not like this.
Fuck.
[tense music rises and fades]
[crowd noise swells slowly]
[Batum in English] I was pissed that… they were beating us like that.
[energetic music plays]
They were there to beat us up, and they did.
Can we just respond, and punch them back?
[in French] I think there was a need for that rant at half-time.
It was justified,
and it had an effect.
He's more influential than any other player on the team.
[commentator in English] Batum, open, bullseye.
[crowd cheers]
[Collet in French] What we try to instill and embody in the French team…
built around selflessness and a fighting spirit.
I think that has to be our primary strength.
[Batum in English] If we lose that game, there are no repercussions.
We're still going to the quarterfinal.
[crowd cheering]
[Batum] At least try to play the right way,
fight, hit someone, so we can carry that to the next one.
[Gobert] The fight is what keeps you alive,
what gives you a chance, especially at this level.
[crowd exclaims]
Germany is… I mean, they're the world champions for a reason.
You don't become world champion by accident.
[commentator] Wagner…
[commentators exclaiming] Oh!
[commentator] Franz Wagner!
They were better than us. We fought back.
You know, but it wasn't enough.
[whistle blows]
[Batum] In that game, they wanted it way more than us,
and that's why, like, they can be a good lesson for us,
because if you play that way, you can beat anybody.
[commentator] Question is, where are they gonna get the offense?
Just looking for the answers right now.
[music fades out]
[overlapping chatter]
- [Bam] Domino. - [man 1] Domino? Damn.
[man 1 groans]
Ten.
- [Bam exclaims] - [man 1] Mm.
I made up rules to where it has to be competitive.
You got to have some type of consequence.
If you've got the least amount of points, you got 15 push-ups.
As you can tell by his shoulders…
he's been doing a lot of push-ups.
[laughs] He been doing a lot of push-ups.
[laughing]
- [domino slams] - [Bam shouts]
- [Tereque] No way! - [pounding table rapidly]
Talk about it. Yahh!
- The fuck are you saying? - Damn!
The fuck are you talking about?
[laughter]
- You know? - [man 2] Got more push-ups?
- I got 15. - [man 1] No, he got them.
That's some bullshit.
[man 1] Nah, man.
[man 2 laughing] The comeback!
[indistinct PA announcement]
PIERRE MAUROY STADIUM STADIUM ACCESS
[commentator 1] Intriguing matchup here at Pierre Mauroy Stadium
as we get set for the United States and South Sudan.
It feels like, for the US, the biggest storyline is the minutes distribution,
and most specifically, Jayson Tatum,
an all-NBA performer, now a champion, getting zero minutes in the first game.
[commentator 2] One of the most decorated players in the NBA,
so we understand why it was a big story,
but no one could have planned for Kevin Durant to play
one of the greatest Olympic games we've ever seen.
[tense music builds slowly]
[Kerr] All 12 of these guys are capable of helping us win.
This is crucial that, when you get your moment,
whenever it is, you bring it, or we bring in another Hall of Famer in.
And that's the strength of the team.
Bam is one of the most impressive human beings I've ever been around.
[door shuts]
He's got just a great belief in what he's doing,
but submits to the team, to the group,
and that's powerful, that's a powerful force.
Every meeting when he walks into the room, he slaps five with every single guy.
Never fails. Every day is a good day for Bam.
[Hill] He's a superstar, he's an all-star in this NBA.
He's won a gold medal in '21,
but he's kind of a blue-collar, lunch-pail guy in terms of his mentality.
[Wade] Bam, as an NBA player, is versatile.
When you're trying to put an Olympic team together,
you want guys that can play multiple roles.
You gotta find these guys that do not need the ball to be successful,
can still make an impact on the game.
And Bam is one of those guys.
He can guard anyone on Earth. [chuckles]
You know, I mean, literally, he can guard anybody.
And, oh by the way, he goes out and gets you 20-plus points
and 10-plus rebounds a game.
Maybe one of the most underrated players in the game of basketball.
And I told his mom, "You have to be incredibly proud of who your son is
and who he continues to be,
even as he's… accomplished so much
and is on this incredible trajectory
as a basketball player."
[Marilyn] Where'd he go? There's my Bam.
- Yeah, tell him which side he's going for. - That's what I'm trying to figure out now.
- That's my jersey. - Well, you gotta clap for USA, then.
- [announcer] Number 13, Bam Adebayo. - [Marilyn clapping]
[Marilyn] Yeah!
[Bam] When I was 12, you wouldn't have told me
that I'd be competing in my second Olympics,
and my mom gets to sit here and watch it live.
Like, I would never…
This is just her just reaping the benefits of, like, her labor, man.
Oh, come on!
[groans]
[commentator] South Sudan looking for its first lead. Shayok to the rim for two.
- [crowd shouting] - Look at that!
He's turning the ball over!
[coach] Bam, you're in!
[Marilyn] Yeah!
It's just a constant reminder of, like, we came from nothing.
[chuckles] Literal nothing.
[commentator] All even at 10.
Bam Adebayo, Anthony Edwards, Jrue Holiday, all check in.
[Marilyn] They need to get a stop.
[Bam] I grew up in a rural area in North Carolina.
- [Marilyn] Get it! - [commentator] Turnover forced by Adebayo.
There you go!
Good D!
[Bam] Me and my mom lived off of $12,000 a year,
in a single-wide trailer, trying to figure it out.
[commentator] Edwards to Adebayo, who rocks the rim.
[Bam] My mom didn't drive, so she walked to work every day.
So, rain, snow, sleet…
However it was, she was getting to work.
[Marilyn exclaims]
- [commentator] Adebayo shows the range. - Yeah! Three!
[Bam] She always made sure my school clothes were washed,
prepped, ready to go.
So, when I woke up, I could brush my teeth, shower,
eat breakfast, do what I got to do and get out the door.
[Bam shouting]
She did that every day for… until I was, what… 16.
[air horn sounds]
[commentator] The United States led by as many as 20,
will go into the break up by 19.
You start to realize, as a kid growing up,
obviously, like, you see your surroundings.
"Dang, his house look like that," you know, "They drive cars like this."
"We don't have a car. My house don't look like that."
It matured me a lot quicker than usual kids
because it was, like, "Alright. I'm okay with not having all that."
"My mom makes sure I got food on the table and, like… I get to be myself,
and I get to still be a kid, at least."
[commentator] White, tight off the screen, lob it up.
Adebayo soaring through the air!
[Bam] What my mom went through was not easy. And to see her in Lille…
Man, that's really all you need.
[chuckles] That's all the motivation you need.
I grew up in a single-wide trailer with me and my mom.
Now we in the Olympics.
- ["I Got You" by James Brown playing] - ♪ I feel nice ♪
♪ Like sugar and spice ♪
Tell him that's our kind of music.
[Marilyn laughing]
[commentator] Inside, Adebayo, hooks it through.
For that point differential, the US trying to win by as many as they can.
Got to run through the tape.
Oh, cookies and milk!
[cheering rises and fades out]
[pundit 1] USA Basketball has been putting on a clinic, on to the knockout stage,
winning by an average of 21.3 points.
That is a lot.
[energetic music builds]
So, eight teams make it to the knockout round.
Once you get past the quarterfinals,
you're guaranteed to at least be playing for a chance at bronze.
So that's where things start to get interesting.
[Jordi] Eight teams left. You go team by team,
and they all have superstars.
There's no easy team to play against.
[pundit 1] Anything can happen in the knockout round, but come on,
are you going to go against Team USA on either side here?
[Shai] We're not intimidated by the United States at all.
We look forward to the challenge and what it presents.
Yeah, the script isn't written for us to always win.
We know they're all capable of beating us, and we've got to be on edge and ready.
[Malika] It's single elimination in order to win gold.
It's simple.
You… You have to win.
[music fades out]
[pundit 2] Tuesday, you got eight teams, four games.
Which of those quarterfinals should we go out of our way to watch?
[pundit 3] It's Canada and France. This is going to be fascinating.
[pundit 4] I mean, is France good?
Well, that's a good question.
- France has not played well. - They've been disastrous.
[in French] It's official, the French team is in a clusterfuck.
[host in English] They were embarrassed by Germany a few days ago.
After the game, Evan Fournier said this, "These days, the best defense is offense."
"It's no longer the game of the 1990s or 2000s,
where you could defend half court. Offense is essential."
[pundit 4 in French] He's questioning Vincent Collet's entire philosophy.
[in English] "Also, I think we lack fundamentals."
[chuckles] Wow. Okay, Evan.
[Diaw] You know, Evan's very competitive.
He's just somebody that really wants to win bad.
Some people are more, you know, the quiet, silent killer.
He's not like that. He's more fiery.
[Wade] He's not afraid of the moment.
Evan Fournier wants to take the big shot every time.
And he thinks he can make it, and you think he can make it.
He doesn't get scared about anything. That's what I love about him.
He doesn't get scared about the moment. He's going to take the ball and play,
and we need that if we want to go, like, deeper in this tournament.
[Fournier] There's been a lot of talking. We got our ass kicked last game.
There's gonna be different pressure because we're at home.
And it's going to be on us to do the work
and have the balls to just really…
uh, embrace that tournament, the pressure, and everything that comes with it.
[energetic music continues]
[Gobert in French] All this finger-pointing isn't going to help us.
So everyone has to look in the mirror.
[in English] We feel the excitement from, you know, the whole country.
Once in a lifetime opportunity. It's important to stay level-headed,
and at the same time, just give everything we have.
[Wemby in French] So what's done is done. We're where we want to be.
This is the elimination phase.
So there's no room for error here.
[reporter] Yesterday Evan Fournier, to quote him,
explained that the best defense sometimes is offense.
Do you feel the whole group has finally bought into this project, this identity?
And what can you say about his words?
First of all, Evan Fournier isn't the group.
He's just Evan Fournier.
So it's a regrettable and unacceptable statement
for which he bears responsibility.
So he can speak for himself.
I said what I have to say, and I'll make no further comments.
I stand by what I said.
I'm sorry Vincent feels that way.
I didn't mean to…
I don't want him to take it badly. I just want us to move forward.
My only intention is for us to win.
I don't know how many points we got yesterday?
[reporter] Seventy-one.
We won't be able to beat anyone in these next few games with 71 points.
[music slowly fading]
[Collet] He wants to do better,
and he knows that now is the time to make a difference.
It's nice to have this popular support.
Although, you also feel the pressure
that comes with it.
[Fournier in English] I've been playing for him since 2014 now.
I think he's doing fine.
I don't feel any added pressure from him.
We're just trying to focus on what's ahead of us, one game at a time.
And, so far… we've been just fine.
[music fades out]
[man in English] Because we're Canadian, half of this has to be in French.
Because we're a bilingual country.
I am not bilingual at all. All I know is,
"Bonjour, je m'appelle Dillon, comment t'appelles-tu?"
- [woman] Oh! - [man] Sounds good. No idea what you said.
If you ask me it back, I can say, "Ça va bien, et toi?"
[man] There we go. Showing off.
And "Puis-je aller aux toilettes?" Can I go to the bathroom.
That's all.
[utensil clinking glass]
[man] I'm going to make a toast, to the man of the hour, Jax Brooks.
[laughter]
Thank you, Dill. Thanks for inviting us all here,
and thanks for allowing us to be part of this.
It's pretty special for us to share in your Olympic dream.
We look forward to cheering you to the gold, my friend.
- Cheers, boys and girls. - [all] Cheers!
[glasses clinking]
- [soft music plays] - [Dillon] I would say I'm misunderstood.
On the court, I play like that player that everybody fears,
that, "Shoot, like, he's going to be smash mouth,
in my face, talking shit, regardless of what the hell's going on."
And then after, when I'm out the court, I can decompress and be Dillon Brooks,
you know, nice dude who is just chill and likes to be around family and friends.
When you were young, I used to take you to Raptor games.
You were the type of kid that would not sit still.
So, he was glued.
He just… You were just focused, and you wanted a program so bad.
- Every time. - Every time. You had to have a program.
And then afterwards, you would sit in bed and just read that whole program at night.
Because you were never reading, but you would read this program.
[laughter]
[Maxine] But you were, like, locked in, watching those games,
the Vince Carter days with the Raptors.
Yeah. I didn't have any problem with him sitting still.
I sit still for basketball and Toy Story.
- Toy Story. - [Maxine] Toy Story too.
- He loved Woody. - I loved Woody.
[Dillon] It doesn't matter what people think to me. I am who I am.
I built the player that I am now, and I'm only growing more.
Two years ago, when you were playing,
you were, like, trash talking to Jamaal Magloire.
- Oh yeah. - And then you were screaming at him.
- You were, like, "This is my house." - [Dillon] Yeah.
Jamaal said something to you.
I'm sitting courtside, you look at me, you're, like, "Right, Mom?"
[laughter]
I'm like… [laughs]
I remember that. I remember that.
That was a good day.
- [laughter] - We ended up winning that game.
It was a good day.
You know, it's a special time. So, thank you guys for all coming.
It makes my day.
And, you know, I love seeing all your faces.
[light chattering]
["Good Mood" by Austin. playing]
[man rapping in French]
[Batum] Moving to INSEP for the rest of the tournament was everything for us.
This is our base. We used to go here when we were younger,
so that helped us also to really get focused on the job we have to do.
[Fournier] We got three days until we play our quarterfinal.
It's very cool to be here. INSEP is like home.
INSEP is, like, an academy for the best athletes in France.
It's definitely the best place to be when you're a teenager about to become a pro
because you have all of the best French basketball players,
at the same place, training every day.
[Batum] To go back, like, you feel like when you were a kid, a teenager.
That's why I love playing for the national team.
You can feel the vibe's different. Your energy's different.
We know why we're here.
We know what we can do. Just go out there and do it.
[Gobert] It does feel like, you know, you're back 13 years old, 15 years old.
And it's also a cool feeling because there's a family type of vibe
that we want to keep, you know, in the national team.
I think it carries over on the court.
[Fournier] This is where my parents met, actually.
They were both judo fighters.
My dad happened to become the national head coach.
Growing up, I was always around here meeting athletes,
and I was just around that lifestyle growing up.
It's where I met my wife, also.
So, this place has a, you know, a special meaning to me, for sure.
[producer] Canada, what do you think you guys need to do to win that one?
[Fournier] To be honest, at that point,
I'm not sure we should care about who we're playing.
It's really more about us, how we get ready,
our togetherness, our belief.
Uh, just get things right.
[commentator on TV] So, the door open here for Canada.
Nash comes up with it.
Nash will drive.
And the ball… it slips away from him,
out of bounds, and France will take possession.
Oh, that is a back-breaker.
Our Olympic experience, we won our group. We beat an incredible Serbia.
Yeah, winning the group gave us a lot of belief and hope.
We crossed over and played France in the quarterfinals, um… and got beat.
[commentator on TV] And that will do it. Time runs out.
And France with the victory over Canada.
And they move on to the semifinals.
There is definitely an eerie similarity here,
and there's a feeling like it is an opportunity for us to get them back.
Canada wins their group undefeated, they go in and play France.
The only difference is they're in France.
You know, that's gonna add a new layer, a new element to it.
It's gonna be a madhouse in there, and Canada's gonna have to overcome the crowd.
Unbelievably selfless for today's athletes.
[Jordi] You can see it in the eyes, eh? He's hurting. Pain.
Usually, when you celebrate, it's the worst thing you can do, right?
And it feels like you guys had an emotional win against Serbia,
probably the best win ever.
I don't know if it's worth to show at some point, just to have it. If…
You know, because I don't want to feel if we have an emotional win at some point,
I don't want that to affect us for the next one.
We went to war and…
[Jordi] We all make mistakes.
When that happens,
I think you have to be clear and honest, and that's how you learn.
Right now, this is bigger than any of us.
And we need to understand that a quarterfinal is,
you know, probably one of the biggest games
that we've ever played together,
especially in these Olympics.
[tense music playing]
And in a 40-minute game, win or go home, everything can happen.
Good. Angle, pop, angle, pop.
Get to your spot. Get to your spot.
Going into this France game, it's gonna be loud, gonna be energetic,
it's gonna be passion, you know, flowing through all those fans.
We're gonna have to battle all that.
[RJ] I love it. It's probably gonna be my favorite game. Being in France,
playing against France, in the Olympics, those are games I live for.
[Dort] We have a great group of guys to go out there, make history,
and then be remembered for a long time.
[Shai] This team that we have now is very committed, all on the same page.
Especially in FIBA basketball, you need camaraderie,
you need to be in sync, and I think we've accomplished that.
[players exclaiming]
There's so many guys on our team that, like, play a role and excel at their role.
You never know when it's gonna come about and when it's gonna be front and center.
We have a group of guys that understand that and are ready for their moment.
I honestly believe it could be anybody. You never know.
[players exclaiming]
[Dillon] We know that, you know, Shai and Jamal are gonna be our front-runners.
And we know that, at any given time, that Lu can take over a game,
you know, myself, I can take over a game and be able to ride that hot hand.
[Jordi] Horns down. Horns down. Horns down.
If we wanna get to the medal rounds, we have one game to do it, 40 minutes,
in France, against France.
You know, at the Olympics… It's what you dream about.
Nothing more you could ask for.
[Jordi] Here we go.
One thing we've done very well is our ball pressure. Alright?
And we can not… We can not go away from it.
The only thing we got to do is contest without fouling. Alright?
- [player] And rebound. - [Jordi] Thank you.
- Canada on three. One, two, three. - [all] Canada!
[indistinct chatter]
[reporter] Who draws the assignment of Wemby, or is that a series of people?
Yeah, it's gonna be a series of people.
Starting with Dillon, and then we'll go from there.
Dillon is a very good defender. He's gonna take the challenge.
He's gonna do it without fouling. He's gonna show his hands.
He's gonna set the tone with his physicality.
[reporter] How's he deal with a shoulder in the chest kind of thing?
You tell me.
- You talk… - Withers? Weathers? Falls over.
You talk about pride playing defense, stopping one of the best in the world.
- What do you guys have? - We got a lot of great players.
A lot of X-factors who can, you know, take over a game at any chance.
I feel like guys, you know, thrive in those moments.
And all we're thinking about is winning this game.5
- [man 1] Thanks, Dillon. - [man 2] Thank you very much.
- He's a national treasure. - [light chuckle]
[tense music builds slowly]
[Batum] Playing for your country is very different
than a team or club or one city.
And I know, like, the pressure we have and that I have.
But I love that pressure.
I'm the oldest now, in my team.
I got guys… one guy told me the first time I was playing for national team,
he was two years old.
But I'm still here because it's something special
to wear your country on your chest,
wear the blue jersey, like, play for France.
My dad was a basketball player, so I kind of followed his steps.
To see his son play in the NBA,
Olympics, World Cup, be the captain of the French national team, like,
I can't imagine, like, how crazy proud he would be.
[solemn music playing]
He passed away when I was three years old.
He had a stroke on the basketball court in '91.
Me and my mom were in the stands.
So, that was tough. That was a tough time.
I'll never understand why I was playing basketball, actually. [chuckles]
Like, why my mom made me play anyway, because if something happened, like,
I don't think I would be able to make my kid play the same sport.
But she knew how much I loved the game,
and it was a therapy for me, I think.
That's the thing I miss the most, is to see his reaction
about stuff I've been doing the last 15, 20 years.
[Collet in French] I first met Nicolas Batum,
when I was head coach with Le Mans.
When Nicolas arrived, he had just turned 15.
And immediately,
he stood out of the crowd.
I was impressed by how he moved with ease, with fluidity.
Of course, he wasn't yet the player he'd later become,
but still, we could tell he had a bright future ahead of him.
[Batum in English] I was 15 years old.
He said, "You're gonna start practicing with us."
And then, I moved up.
And he put me on the court at 16, 17, gave me the keys of the team at 18,
and then put me in the draft, and I got drafted.
The year after, he took the national team, and that was my first year.
So, I've literally been working for him and with him, nonstop, the last 20 years.
[in French] Because if we want to beat them on the switches,
the first thing to find is the mismatch.
[Batum in English] I know every practice or every game or every video,
he's going to shoot something at me, like I was still 15 years old.
But we have that relationship, you know. It's nothing personal.
He just wants me to be great, since I'm 15 years old. So, I love that.
[music fades out slowly]
[Collet in French] About tomorrow's game, let's get real.
Drive and dedication are key.
That's where it starts.
I know you all want to win.
We all want to, all of us.
This kind of drive is essential, but we need to channel it.
They're a very, very strong team.
To me, in this tournament, they're second only to Team USA.
But we've got what it takes to win this quarterfinal.
Let's not even think about what comes next.
We need to think about what we need to put in place.
And how are we going to create the conditions for our success?
The answer is together.
[expectant music builds]
[horn honking playfully]
[fans whistling, shouting]
[Batum in English] This is why you play basketball.
This is why you're in the Olympics.
It's not a series. It's one game.
It's going to be big boys' basketball now.
It's not for kids, it's for grown men.
[expectant music rises slowly]
[Jordi] Three things that we need to do to handle this game.
One is handling the home crowd.
How we do that?
Use their energy against them, and stay together.
Alright? Number two is, they give us a bad call,
we ain't fucking reacting to it.
We just keep going, because that shows toughness,
and they're going to see what we're about.
And then number three is,
games are not decided in one quarter, two quarters, or three quarters.
Games are decided in four.
You gotta play for 40 minutes all together. Alright?
Every possession matters.
Here we go. Bring it in.
- [light chatter] - [shoes squeaking]
[Collet in French] This is the beginning of the story.
It's an extraordinary chance.
What will make this game different from a regular game
is surpassing ourselves.
Only together will we be able to surpass ourselves.
That's something they're not prepared for, because you can't prepare for it.
Because even we don't know how high we're going to climb.
We will be unstoppable, we're gonna go for their throats.
We'll fight for every rebound.
We'll run like demons.
We'll get back on defense like never before.
We might die of exhaustion tonight, but we'll give it our all.
Since we've come together, we haven't played a truly good game.
Tonight is the night! Let's go!
[all shouting excitedly]
- Let's go! - Let's go, let's go!
- Together! Blue, white, red! - [all] Together!
[buzzer sounds]
- [Jordi in English] Here we go. - [clapping]
[Jordi] We're gonna try to have some fun out there.
- Canada on three. One, two, three. - [all] Canada!
[shoes squeaking]
[indistinct chattering]
Let's go, let's go get 'em.
- [rhythmic clapping] - [drum beating]
[chanting in unison]
[commentator 1] The host country, France, looks to continue its tournament.
They've got one of the best teams in the world on the other side.
A spot in the semifinals on the line. Winner here takes on Germany.
[crowd chanting loudly]
[commentator 1] Yabusele fires.
It's in for three!
[cheering]
[commentator 1] It literally feels like there's an earthquake in this building.
[commentator 2] A little different than Lille.
- This is the man here. - [commentator 1] Great pass.
A perfect dime from Yabusele.
[energetic music builds]
Cordinier running the show. Step into the three ball.
Money!
Three for three start for France.
Physical inside. Knocked away by Wemby.
Fast break once again for France. Cordinier. Same spot.
- Same result! - [commentator 2 ] Oh!
[crowd cheering loudly]
[coach] We'll shut them off. They're like three for four from the arc,
two of them were in transition.
[commentator 1] Right now, France can do no wrong.
[Jordi] Get to your spots, get--
Holy shit. Call a foul, man.
[commentator] Brooks. Stops on a dime. Up and under. Brooks.
Can't finish. Lost it on the way up.
We gotta have that mental stability, that mental toughness.
Because it's going to be physical games,
and we're not that big.
[in French] Fuck him up now!
[commentator 1 in English] Taken by Barrett. Couldn't catch cleanly.
- Oh, that's ridiculous. Wemby! - [commentator 2] Oh my goodness.
[commentator 1] Leave it. Lessort for two.
[commentator 2] Just came out of nowhere.
[Jordi] Foul!
Holy fuck, man.
- I haven't shot a free throw. - But this is not the--
- That's not soccer. - I don't know. Keep looking. If you want…
[Jordi] It's not soccer. It's not like, "Oh, play on."
[commentator 1] Fournier.
Off the screen. Fournier lob it up.
- [commentator 2] Big lob. - [commentator 1] Lessort with the finish.
France controls the first on both ends of the floor.
Canada getting punched in the mouth to start this game.
[music recedes]
[whistle blows]
[commentator 2] Been going to the post.
They understand where their mismatches are
and getting a chance to take advantage of it.
[commentator 1] Canada fouls starting to pile up in this second quarter.
[Jordi] You guys gotta call the same game.
[whistles] Let us play!
[commentator 1] This lead now at 15 points.
[commentator 2] Canada right now has no rhythm.
This guy right here has to get going for them.
[deep, heavy beat playing]
[commentator 1] SGA's game, silky smooth mid-range delivery.
Buries it for two.
Shai's one of the best players in the world. In a lot of these games,
sometimes when things aren't going our way,
he kind of, like, brings just a spark for us.
[commentator 1] SGA, two for two in the last two possessions.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Hangs and hits.
That is too good.
[commentator 2] He here. He's here, finally. There we go.
[fans] Canada!
- [heavy note deepens] - [whistles blowing]
[commentator 1] Lessort fouled on the outside.
And a little extra after the fact.
- [Jordi] What's free throw differential? - [coach] 16-6.
Hey! It's 16-6 in free throws!
- [indistinct shouts] - [heavy music intensifies]
- [whistle blows] - [commentator 1] Ntilikina is fouled.
Oh fuck!
Hey, fellas, we are fouling. We are. We got 20 minutes to fix it.
Twenty minutes to fix it.
[in French] Don't let up, let's go!
[commentator 1 in English] Fans on their feet.
France looking to end this first half with a bang.
Yabusele for three.
It's through.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator 1] What a first half from France.
[crowd roaring]
You guys got to be fucking better.
He moved on the screen, like, he moved on the screen. It's…
- It's awful. - [referee responds indistinctly]
Can you please call it?
Please. I'm playing for my life.
[commentator 1] Do they have that dig-deep mentality
to find their way back from down 16?
[music recedes]
If we play with a sense of urgency…
Make that shit personal.
[clapping]
[in French] Good job.
Come on, guys.
- Let's do the same half! - What should we do now?
- One more half remaining! - What should we do?
- 20 minutes! - Go, go, go!
- [in English] It's our shit, that's it. - Yup. We good.
Get back to our shit.
It's too easy right now.
- [Jordi] How do we get back in this game? - [players] Defense.
Good, and not doing what? Like, what can we not do?
- [players] Not foul. - Good. Alright.
Right now, alright, I've been bitching consistently,
and it's 25-8 on free throws.
And I don't want anybody to complain.
Because they know it, and we're playing at their place.
Alright? So, right now it comes down to, win this quarter, stay together.
Alright? Staying together. Nobody said that this shit would be easy.
So, let's go and fight for it. Here we go.
[team shouting and clapping]
- Canada on three. One, two, three. - [all] Canada!
- [in French] Together! Blue, white, red! - Together!
The early moments are key!
- Let's go! - Come on, guys!
[crowd chanting in French]
[in English] You know it's 25-8 on free throws?
Uh, we saw that.
Yeah, that's impossible. I've never seen it in my life.
But I give you… you know, like, a game is 40 minutes, so…
[commentator 1] Can Canada come back from a 16-point halftime deficit?
[commentator 2] I'd like to see RJ Barrett get involved.
RJ's a guy who was averaging over 20 points a game for this team.
[commentator 1] And can Dillon Brooks find some offensive daylight?
Brooks is 0-for-5 to start this game.
[crowd exclaiming]
[Jordi] What the fuck?
That's the best player on the court,
and you guys are letting him foul him every time.
[tense music builds]
[commentator 1] Barrett… draws the contact, and floats it in.
Is this the slight crack in the door
for this Canadian squad to make their run?
Oh, what a play by Dort.
Tap it up. SGA… claims it.
Two on one.
- He'll finish. - [inaudible]
That was pretty.
Slowly chipping away.
- [fans chanting] - Canada back within 11.
- [in French] Keep it up! - If we want to win, we need to go get it!
That's what he's saying!
- Blue, white, red. - Together!
[commentator 1 in English] We go to the fourth.
Can France run through the tape or does Canada have a final push?
Barrett all alone. Pure!
[music intensifies]
Yabusele fires.
[Jordi] Go, go, go!
[commentator 1] Another board to Powell. He's open.
RJ Barrett behind the defense.
Timeout France.
[music fades]
It is a five-point ball game.
[Collet in French] Let's go! Mentally, we need to…
We need to work hard, like we did earlier!
We're no longer moving the ball. They're bossing us around.
We need to take chances!
[commentator 1 in English] France was in complete control,
and Canada has slowly made their way back.
[in French] Let's go, Evan!
[commentator 1 in English] Fournier looking inside for Wembanyama.
Fournier, lines it up.
Knocks it down!
[commentator 2] Big shot.
[Batum] Evan is… That game showed who he is.
[tense music rises]
That's his hometown. He grew up a couple blocks from that arena.
In the biggest game of the tournament, he made some big shots.
[commentator 1] Fournier floats it up.
And in!
Two minutes to play. A spot in the semifinal on the line.
[dramatic music playing]
Wembanyama.
Two to shoot. Fournier. A bomb!
[commentators and crowd shouting]
[commentator 1] Fournier delivers again!
[crowd cheering]
[commentator 1] The French basketball gods answer the prayer.
[emotional music playing]
[crowd cheering and whistling loudly]
[Batum] That's one of those shared moments where everything is in slow motion.
It's just… shhh… the ball takes its time, and you're just praying it's gonna go in.
But at that moment, you know it's gonna go in.
So when he made it, the crowd just exploded.
So, for him to have that performance, and make that kind of shot at that stage,
at that moment… yes, he deserved it for sure.
[crowd roaring]
[commentator 1] A wire-to-wire French victory.
And it's France setting up a rematch in the semifinals with Germany
as they advance in the Paris Games.
[gentle music playing]
[crowd noise fades slowly]
[Bjorkgren] They didn't stop playing for a second.
It fucking hurts, man. It's a fucking terrible, terrible, terrible feeling.
They played their ass off for us, for their country.
Forty-two fucking free throws, man.
[banging, clattering]
[RJ shouts] Fuck!
[brooding music playing]
[Jordi] This is a… This is a tough one for all of us.
But the one thing that I can tell you is we've got first Olympics here in 24 years.
You know, you guys did a great job. 3-1.
Obviously, we don't wanna lose in quarterfinals,
but this experience… This is not gonna be your last Olympics.
Remember how much this hurts,
because then when you have the opportunity to play the next game at this level,
we cannot forget this feeling.
[Rowan] I want you to remember the level of physicality this game was played in.
It's not the NBA.
It's FIBA. They don't care. They're not calling.
They'll play through it, right?
It's just a different game.
Shai, you're our best player. I want to hear your voice.
[Shai] Yeah. It's a terrible feeling, obviously.
I think for me, personally… I might have overlooked the opportunity a little bit.
Once the game was over,
I realized it's another four years before we get this opportunity.
That's a long fucking time. Um…
So, for me, and I advise the rest of you, to remember what this feels like,
and this opportunity is what it is because it only comes around every four years,
and we got to be ready come 2028.
Let's be the best we can be.
[Jordi] Alright, last time together. Here we go.
[man groaning]
[shoes squeaking]
[Kelly] Stay together, man, we'll be back.
We'll be back.
- Canada on three. One, two, three. - [all] Canada!
[clapping]
- [clapping] - [excited shouting]
We know who we're gonna play next. We're gonna play Germany again.
- [chattering] - [grunts deeply]
[Batum] We were hoping to see them again.
- [clapping] - [chattering]
[in French] What did I tell you, brother?
Well played!
[Collet] You might have trouble sleeping tonight.
So, if you're already thinking about the next games,
you need to understand, something is always at stake.
And we have a shot against the team we're about to face.
But why do I think we have an advantage?
They're overconfident,
some might even say arrogant.
But our goal is to turn their confidence against them.
We need to steal their confidence.
And you'll see, we'll soar to victory.
Let's go.
- [clapping] - [loud shouting]
Together.
Blue, white, red.
[chattering]
Together.
- Blue, white, red! - [all] Together!
[fade to silence]
[upbeat music playing]
[music fades out]