By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
“I was marked last year by the sadness of Pau Gasol after their defeat in the World Cup quarterfinals and his great class”. French coach Vincent Collet set the tone for a big semifinal duel. It’s France vs Spain, but also Rudy Gobert vs the prime favorite to be tournament MVP, Pau Gasol.
The young French center was the key player of France in the win over Spain and as Nicolas Batum said: “I don’t think that Pau has forgotten about Gobert”. “We are waiting the duel between Gasol and Rudy, even if stopping Gasol will be a team job”, added veteran forward Florent Pietrus. “I believe that our young guys are mentally ready and Rudy can’t wait to play against Gasol”, was the opinion of Tony Parker for the key match up of the semifinal.