France upset Spain 65-52 in the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Cup Wednesday, and much of the credit should go to the performance of young center Rudy Gobert. It was a shocking result for fans of the World Cup, as Spain looked like a team poised to challenge and possibly beat Team USA in the Finals.
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After the game, Gobert posted a picture of his team celebrating the improbable win with the caption:
"“Tonight we made history and i cant explain how proud i am of those guys,but we didnt achieve our goal yet..so its time to sleep now. #merci #impossibleisnothing”"
Gobert made a number of huge defensive plays in the fourth quarter and effected the impacts of Pau and Marc Gasol in the paint. Without Gobert, this upset doesn’t happen. His defense helped keep Spain from scoring in the final minutes and France went on a 10-0 run to end the game.
Also huge for France was Boris Diaw and Thomas Heurtel, who led the offense with 15 and 13 points respectively.
France moves on to face Serbia in the semifinals Friday. With Spain losing on its home court, the door is open for Team USA to win the cup. However, if France was able to pull off the upset, nothing should be assumed.
As for Gobert, the momentum of this performance could carry over into the regular NBA season with the Utaz Jazz. Anthony Davis has certainly stood out for Team USA, but Gobert has had a promising tournament. If Enes Kanter doesn’t improve, look for Gobert to earn more minutes in the Jazz rotation.