Batum on World Cup collapse vs Canada: 'We were caught in our own trap' / News - Basketnews.com

Batum said it was a miracle France was down by just three at halftime against Canada.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

The French national team finished the 2023 FIBA World Cup in just 18th place, suffering a fiasco in the First Round. Regarded as one of the tournament favorites, France lost two games out of the first three and were eliminated from title contention.

Player of the Game EFF 36 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Points 27 Accuracy 9-19 Rebounds 13 Assists 6

Nicolas Batum came back to the roster after missing the EuroBasket 2022 and was named team captain, only to suffer arguably the biggest defeat in recent history.

Talking on First Team, the 34-year-old admitted that it was difficult to deal with it.

"It was my 11th or 12th campaign with the France team, and it was the hardest,” he said. "The first round was [supposed to be] almost a formality, [and] we didn't make it through. It's hard."

In the very first game of the World Cup, France lost to Canada by 30 points, sounding alarms about the team's chances in the competition.

"It's always the most physical team that wins. They were up 43-40 at the break. We were not out of it, but it was a miracle to be this close," Batum said.

The second half was extremely painful, as France got outscored by 27 points. They lost the third quarter by 17 (25-8).

"We were not playing the right way. During the third quarter, we would always wear the opposing teams down physically. That's where they took off. We were caught in our own trap," Batum explained.

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