We knew it was going to be hellishly difficult for the French team to finish and win their first gold medal on the world stage. We didn’t think it would be so difficult. After Canada’s humiliation at the beginning of the tournament (95:65), it even becomes a dangerous obstacle course. “Sometimes it feels good to grab a good hook to put your ideas back into action. “Now is better than later,” says Rudy Gobert. There are seven games left to reach the final and to put it simply, the Blues no longer have the right to lose a single one. Worse still, you are no longer in control of your destiny.

The mission begins this Sunday against Latvia (3:30 p.m., beIN Sports 1), the 19th nation in the world, while France is third. One defeat and it’s settled, the adventure ends there. To think that the Olympic runners-up will have an easy game is a mistake. Driven by Canadian fury to the utmost humility, the Blues cannot fall into that trap.

They know that led by Italy’s Luca Banchi, who spent this season in Strasbourg, Latvia are a (very) good side even without their Boston Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis. His strength? His three-point address in particular was all the rage, beating Lebanon on Friday (109-70). The Latvians also know that the blues’ chronic weakness lies in the rebound. You won’t give up watering to get in trouble. “The Latvians only shoot for almost three points and the rebounds will be very long,” analyzes Nicolas Batum. We can’t count on Rudy getting everything on his own. No, it’s not a formality that awaits France this Sunday.

Victory is important, but unfortunately not enough. Of course, France will beat the weak Lebanese on Tuesday (11.45) and end the first round with two wins. But if Canada is unlucky to lose to the same Latvians four hours later (3:30pm), the Blues are eliminated. This is due to the catastrophic point average and the 30 points conceded to the maple leaf players. “It’s awful,” summarizes Vincent Collet. Also dangerous.