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"With our luck, we'll have to play against Spain"

Yesterday we had a video session in the morning, because I must admit we didn't know too much the team of Macedonia. We saw they're a team of shooters, playing with the euphoria and that need confidence. The goal for us was: certainly not let them gain confidence. It was super important because we were on a mission to qualify for quarter finals. If we lost this game, it could be tough for us. Then we'd have played with pressure against big teams. So we were focused from the beginning not to get in shit.

We put a big run right from the start, 17-3 or something like that, thanks to our defense and a lot of address. Finally address ! Maybe it was because we've changed arena, I don't know. Anyways we certainly feel better in this arena than in the hangar of Gdansk. I don't know if you could see it on TV but the arena was better welcoming. While the other one was a little scary, it was a little dark and... strange. For the routine, It was different.

Early in the game, Florent [Pietrus] and I bumped well into them. It's a good thing we were given back confidence offensively because Flo and I didn't do a good last game in attack. Personally, it felt good to start with a big hammer. I had only put a weird stuff against Germany, some sort of odd tap, a bit lame, but except for this one I had not put any in 3 games and I was missing the rim a bit. But here a dunk in a set play like this, early in the game, it gives confidence. In addition we scored 3 other alley-oops in the first quarter. Well, I think they've left a lot of energy in the first round so their defense gave us some room. Because against Croats, against the Greeks and the Israelis they really went all out.

But we also properly applied the instructions : basically bumping into them, especially not letting them be on fire and run to widen the gap. We were up by 15 in the 1st quarter and then they gave up. And the rotation came in. I think Ali [Traoré] had the most minutes with 25 min, Tony [Parker] barely played 20 minutes. Anyways Tony, Boris [Diaw], Ronny [Turiaf] didn't have to force themselves. Personally, it felt good: a day off, a game that restored confidence and where the rotation could play, and then another day off.

It's good conditions for the match against Croatia. Especially since this match will be tough, because Croatia with its defeat against Russia, doesn't have much choice now. If we beat them and Russia wins against the Greeks, they can be in a bad position. Plus they have strong players : Planinic, Vujcic, Popovic, Kus, Ukic, Nicevic… We'll have to do the same : try to break them right from the start, play 40 minutes and keep the level of defense we have. Many say we play teams that don't have a high level, but well, we're still the best defense. And we want to keep it, win this game and finish in the top 2 of the group.

On the other side the other group is crazy. With our luck we'll have to play against Spain, I'm sure of it. But after all it's a great team but they've aldready lost twice. And anyways we're able to beat anyone but we can also lose to anyone : we've lost to Finland, huh... So we'll see.

Today (saturday) we've been taken care of and there's workout tonight. But anyways it was a day off. Nobody went out, everybody stayed in his room to rest. They play Gameboy, Yannick [Bokolo] plays "Questions pour un Champion" on Internet [TV quiz show], guys like Alain [Koffi] or Boris [Diaw] play Mario Kart on DS… Aymeric [Jeanneau] really likes going out, visiting towns, having a drink outside, but everybody was too lazy to follow him. Antoine [Diot], who's in my room, also plays DS. Actually everyone's playing DS. The DS is popular in this team. Me, before games, I do my typical day : nap, a little internet and snacks.

We don't have internet but I do :) In the Internet room Ali talked about in his blog, there are wires. So I snatched one of the wires and I plugged it. And since the wire is super long it's plugged under the TV, but it reaches my bed. Sometimes some receive Internet but it's rare, it's a headache for them. Now I don't care, Im chill, I'm in my bed, I have Internet all the time. So I don't move, I'm resting, cushy, in my room. Reading in my bed bullshits the other dumb-ass writes.

Ali beat me about the Vujcic meeting saying I was goind to tell you about it, because he knows what happened was awkward. So he took the initiative. Vujcic and he have played in 2002 together. And at luch we're sitting next to the Croats. It was obvious Ali wanted to say hello to Vujcic ! And Vujcic at one point rose to leave, and then Ali, I do not know what he does, he puts his hand over his mouth and he is "Hummmhummm". One of these throat-clearing, saying "Look at me, I'm here ! " It was pathetic to see :) So Vujcic saw him. He recognized him and was "Oooohhhhhhh….." and it was obvious he couldn't remember his name :) But Ali was too happy, too delighted. So they had to go around the table to meet and it was like in movies : slow motion, with the small music ! Ali was happy and they cuddled. Then Aymeric (who shares Ali's room) told me that in the room he was in seventh heaven.

Ali's talked in his blog but he says a lot of bullshit :) I'm trying to talk about basketball, I'm not trying to have a bullshit contest. Tomorrow he'll be afraid to play against Vujcic. He'll be afraid to touch him, he will only hug him. At team presentation, you trade flags, I'm sure he'll go towards him and will want his flag so he can pin it in his room. Well Ali, I like him, it's a fair game. He's a good basketball player. Well a good attacker, but in defense sometimes he's tired to come back… No seriously I'm happy he's there, and he can defend anyway. Well I'm not sure about tomorrow... Maybe he won't dare.

Anyways, I saw the clash of lame play on words took well on Basketsession.com. Ali talked in the comments about his pun on Nikkila. It sucked ! I made one on Ranniko, the pinnacle of puns on the Finns. I said "The guy with number 15, there, he's pissed at me"."Why ?"."Because he always says ‘Rhhaaa Nico‘" So that's the level ... Or Mottola, his first name is Hanno. So it goes like "Ah no, no motorbike here." [moto means bike and là means here] Well, all that to say they're very, very lowbrow jokes, it's really pathetic. Not the level of some of the comments I could read on BasketSession. Some of them are really top level. I loved "Johan il se la Petro" [Johan is cocky]. "Le moniteur de Colo" too [summer camp monitor]. There was this one too "Yannick, il aime pas la 3ème mi-temps, parce qu’il aime Bokolo." [Yannick doesn't like the after party because he likes water very much]. No, to be honest you found really funny ones !

Well, I also have to say what Antoine did yesterday after the game. He was in doping control and came back after midnight. He enters the room and he's " I'm drunk ". In fact he couldn't piss in doping control and drank 5 beers to do it. He needed 5 ! When he came back he was in a good mood, gay, not drunk but he was happy. 3.8 grams in the blood in antidoping control… It was a scheme to disqualify us actually. They took the youngest : "the kid, let's make him drink 5 beers and we'll bust him positive" Thanks Antoine. He could do a contest with the bus drivers. Anyways they must have been told off, they're more calm.