By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Lille, France—When Rui Hachimura was ejected, it seemed like the game was over for Japan. However, they fought bravely and gave themselves a chance to defeat France.
It was Matthew Strazel who saved Les Bleus in the dying moments and secured overtime, where Victor Wembanyama took over. Nicolas Batum believes that these types of games will help the NBA star grow.
“It is the type of game he is going to learn from. I don’t think he has been through that in his own career. I mean, we know he is amazing; it’s going to be amazing, but in games like this, he’s going to need them to grow. That’s a good thing,” Batum said after France’s second win at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The experienced forward praised the audience at the Pierre-Mauroy Stadium and credited them for pushing the French team in tough moments.
“Huge. Huge. I mean, you get 20,000 people on your side. They don’t give up easily. You know, they could have easily given up, but they didn’t. It was a big game; as a basketball fan, you want a game like that—crazy shots at the end, overtime, big defense. I think the crowd had a great game tonight.”
He also gave credit to the Japanese team for fighting until the very last moment.
“It was two good teams. Japan played amazingly. Like I said, credit to them. When Hachimura went out, their best player, they could have easily given up, but they fought even harder. They did it for a reason. It wasn’t an easy game, so I’m glad we beat them.”
Apparently, Rudy Gobert now owes him dinner.
“Yes, not yet, but for sure, he owes me something.”
Batum doesn’t see this game necessarily as a wake-up call but as a show of the strength of the competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“It’s the Olympics. It’s the 12 best teams in the world, so it’s no easy game. You can see that from the beginning; there’s no blowout, except for the USA team. But pretty much every game is close. That’s why you love the Olympics, why you love basketball—to play those games. It was fun tonight,” Nicolas Batum concluded.