Where to find the best marabout? After 45 minutes of jousting between French and Italians, it seems that Vincent Collet has found much more than a bit of an answer to the big question of the moment. Otherwise, how to explain that – four days after Cedi Osman’s free throw choke – Simone Fontecchio, absolutely brilliant throughout the meeting, also trembled at the most important moment? Big anything.
Lunar. It’s absolutely lunar.
Last Saturday, 12 seconds from the end of the 1/8 final between Turks and French, the Blues are led 77 to 75. The situation forces pessimism: Cedi Osman goes to shoot two free throws on the line. Godsend, both are missing. New gift from heaven, Rudy Gobert taps the buzzer and forces the extension. New calf gift from heaven, the France team wins after extra time.
This Wednesday, 16 seconds from the end of the quarter-final between the Italians and the French, the Blues are trailing 77 to 75. The situation forces pessimism: Simone Fontecchio goes to shoot two free throws on the line. Godsend, both are missing. New gift from heaven, Thomas Heurtel equalized on a lay-up and forced extra time. New calf gift from heaven, the France team wins after extra time.
Let us be told “These Blues have heart, it’s great, another hard-fought victory! » : okay, but there must be something else. What hidden force therefore propels the France team, where it does not really deserve to arrive? A guy like Simone Fontecchio, in exactly 39 minutes and 44 seconds of the match, was impeccable. A guy like Thomas Heurtel, in the first period, was not up to par. Are the French “too talented” to lose this kind of meeting, or is it their opponents who simply lack the experience to punish, sanction, and send the Blues home? We can analyze, as we can – after two such improbable events – easily fall into superstition: “It’s a sign, we will necessarily go to the end, nothing can happen to us! ». Calm down. This level of play will not be enough to bring down (provided it wins tonight) Luka Doncic’s Slovenia. Or maybe it will be enough to bring her down, eventually. Who are we to interpret what may be a sign from above? You know the believing editor who loses the thread of his article. Well, choke or not, Simone Fontecchio still did the song well for us.
Still alive, still standing. pic.twitter.com/ErivRCWesu
— Arthur TrashTalk (@ArthurJBaudin) September 14, 2022
Italy’s top scorer at the last Olympic Games, Simone Fontecchio, on Wednesday, upheld his status as transalpine leader: 21 points at 7/15 shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 interception in 35 minutes of play. A match slightly above its standards on this EuroBasket, and a new performance which explains why the Jazz went to look for it in Baskonia. The 3-point pull-up, a safe ball outfit and creation: the guy has everything of an artist, who is only waiting for an XXL reinforcement in the national team to play the perfect lieutenants. That’s to say ? That is to say, we will see what Paolo Banchero does, but the potential association between the two makes us say that over the next few years, we will have to be wary of the water that has been sleeping for two centuries, namely the Italian basketball. Even if good, it is very likely that as soon as the NBA resumes next October, Simone Fontecchio is averaging 4.1 points. The great mystery of the FIBA/NBA transition, you know.
At 26, Simone Fontecchio has probably just failed to conclude one of her biggest career meetings. We can’t even imagine a hundredth of the frustration he must be feeling at the moment T, while we Frenchmen are winning a qualification that is as brilliant as it is laborious.
