Lebanon – France

World Cup Group Stage Round 3
Jakarta, August 29, 11:45 CET

France was completely disappointing in the opening two rounds of the World Cup, and it is already clear that the European vice-champions will not play in the next stage of the competition.
The match with Lebanon is just an opportunity for the French to at least play offensively impressively in a duel between two completely relieved teams, without a result imperative. In the previous days, France had serious problems in defense, first in a convincing defeat 95:65 against Canada, then completely unexpectedly 88:86 against decimated Latvia.
It is no coincidence that the team of experienced coach Vincent Collet played impressively in offense during the preparations. There are three NBA stars in France, and the team includes, according to many, the best defender in modern basketball, center Rudy Gobert. With the quality of guards Fournier, experienced De Colo, Outtara, and exceptional centers Fall, Lessort and power forward Yabusele - that makes the previous defeat against Latvia even more of a shock. But, quite simply, in the very end of the match against Latvians, opponents who shot exceptionally well, France succumbed to the pressure of expectations.
On the other hand, Lebanon also (expectedly) ends its appearance at the World Cup already in the group stage. This Asian national team was defeated by Canada 128:73 on Sunday. Before that, Latvia defeated Lebanon 109:70. Simply, this team cannot match their rivals when it comes to the transition game, and the lack of quality is especially obvious when it comes to the centers.
However, in a match without a result imperative, Lebanon will have a chance to at least score a decent number of points against France. During the preparations, this team scored less than 70 points only once, and will want to say goodbye to the World Cup in a dignified way.
"The Cedars" do not have a dominant shooter in the selection, and the only player who does not play in the domestic Lebanese league is power forward Omari Spellman, a member of the Korean club Anyang. The team does not have any classic center in the squad and that is a big problem, especially against physically and athletically dominant teams like France.
A convincing triumph of the French is expected, but also a decent number of points during all four quarters - which would not be the case if France won the place in the next round (main players would be rested). This way, the team of selectors Vincent Collet will want, at least, to improve the impression, at the end of the overall unsuccessful performance at the World Cup.
In their last match, France beat Lebanon 86:59... But that match was played at the World Cup back in August 2010.