On the left, Rudy Gobert 2m16 wears the Utah Jazz jersey.
On the right, Nicolas Batum 2m03 wears that of the Los Angeles Clippers.
They are both the tauliers of the France team which will leave in a little over a month to conquer an Olympic medal, why not the most beautiful.
They have the means: Rudy Gobert is the pivot of the Blues, his control tower.
Nicolas Batum is the captain of the France team, his boss.
"It's always pleasant to face a compatriot"
But for the cronies, Tokyo is still far because both are engaged at the moment, a beautiful battle on the floors of the NBA.
They face each other eye to eye in the semifinals of the Western Conference, to make it simple in the quarterfinals of the NBA.
“It's always pleasant to face a compatriot in the playoffs, had slipped the Normand before the start of the series.
I had already played against Tony (Parker) and Boris (Diaw), but never against Rudy.
It's the first time and it's going to be a big series.
"
Read also Rudy Gobert, a golden salary but feet on the ground
Well seen: before Game 5 on the night of Wednesday to Thursday in Salt Lake City (4 hours on BeInsport), the two teams are tied 2-2. It's more uncertain than ever: The Jazz, who had the best regular season in the league, won both games in Utah but the Clippers won both in California. 2-2 therefore, ball in the center: “The Jazz started the series perfectly, analyzes Jacques Monclar, the voice of the NBA on beINsport. But their injured leader Mike Conley was sorely lacking. Utah must also not underexploit Rudy as they did in Game 4 where he only took 4 shots. Opposite, Kawhi Leonard is on fire and for the moment, the dynamics are in favor of the Clippers. But now, Utah is coming back to its room where it is always difficult to come and win. "
They hold the key to the series
Game 6 of the series will take place on the night of Saturday to Sunday.
Game 7 to leave or double if necessary will take place in the capital of the Mormons on the night of Monday to Tuesday.
🇫🇷 flicks.
📸 #ThatsGame pic.twitter.com/qCrZVVkLPv
- NBA France (@NBAFRANCE) June 15, 2021
The key to the series is the two French people who hold it. Without the three-time best defenseman of the year, Utah is not going to get away with it. Not everything can rest on soloist Donovan Mitchell. On the other hand, without Batum, his Swiss Army knife returned to its best level after years of hardship in Charlotte, Los Angeles will not succeed either: "The problem when we face Rudy, answers the captain of the Blues, it" is how to put him in difficult situations. No one has found the solution yet and that's why he won three NBA best defenseman trophies (2018, 2019, 2021) in four years. When I play with him during the summer for the France team, I know I have this big guy who protects us, just in case, and that's what I like about him. We just have to find a way to get Rudy in trouble. "
Who better than Batum who knows him so well since the two men have shared their summer with the France team since 2014 can succeed in this task? “Yes, it's my job,” continues the native of Lisieux. I must continue to find a way to do this. I know what I need to do to put him in a different position so that he can't be so successful and it's not easy because he finds a way to refuse the screens and protect the paint. But I think it's my job to take him out of his comfort zone because he's so good at protecting the racquet and being there to help his teammates. So it's just something I have to do to stop him from doing that. "
Easy to do at the foot of a tower like Rudy Gobert who will be his friend, his teammate, the one on whom Nicolas Batum will rely on July 25 against Team USA in Tokyo to conquer the Olympic gold medal: “Frankly for the moment, resumes Jacques Monclar, both are not concerned with that. They are not telling themselves that I have a compatriot and a friend in front of me. Things go so fast in the NBA that the guy sees the color of a jersey right in front of him, not his opponent's face, and feelings have no place. They will obviously come back when they leave the floor.
