FIBA quarterfinals: France's smothering defense leads to upset win over Spain

What. A. Game.

Few gave the French national team much of a chance against powerhouse Spain in their quarterfinal match-up at the FIBA World Cup on Wednesday, considering Spain had so easily dispatched of the French, 88-64, in the group stage.

Well, a spirited and intense defensive effort changed everyone's tune Wednesday, as France knocked off the host country with a stunning 65-52 upset.

It started early, with France pulling out to an 11-2 lead to begin the game. The French offense had some trouble getting going, turning the ball over five times in the first quarter and surviving primarily off of back-door cuts, but the defense held Spain to just 36.7 percent shooting and a 1-of-11 mark from long range in the first half. That was good for a 35-28 halftime lead, but since Spain averaged 88 points in the tournament, even that lead seemed tenuous.

Spain did heat up for a while, storming back to take a 43-42 lead in the third quarter on a flashy Sergio Rodriguez-Rudy Fernandez alley-oop that was followed quickly by a Pau Gasol block.

Having scored just seven points in the third quarter, things looked dire for the defending European champion French team. Well, they called on their defense once again, with Utah Jazz big man and breakout performer Rudy Gobert taking it upon himself to be everywhere on defense. Gobert would finish the game with five points, 13 rebounds, and maybe the biggest block of his basketball career, turning away a Pau Gasol shot at the rim with 4:56 to play.

The defensive effort allowed France to slowly build another lead, before Thomas Heurtel hit an absolute dagger to put the team up 60-52 with just 65 seconds to play.

From there, Spain began rushing their offensive sets, while the French team clearly sensed the moment and dialed in even tighter defensively. After Heurtel's shot, Spain would miss a quick jumper, have a shot blocked by Nicolas Batum, and miss a pair of threes, all the while fouling to gain possession and allowing France to pull away.

Spain was clearly frustrated as they struggled to score, and the game got quite physical in the second half. In the third quarter, the two sides even had to be separated, with technical fouls issued to Florent Pietrus and Sergio Llull after the Gasols were too physical with Joffrey Lauvergne for France's liking:

It's easy to understand the frustration on the part of Spain, who expected to have a chance to topple the United States in the tournament's final on Sunday. They shot just 32 percent as a team on Wednesday, going an anemic 2-of-22 from long range and getting hammered 50-28 on the boards, normally their specialty.

Pau Gasol had 17 points and eight rebounds, but he was the only player who really found his groove offensively - Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Ricky Rubio all shot 1-of-7, and the normally beautiful ball movement that's come to be expected of the Spanish national team rarely bore fruit.

France, on the other hand, was expected to be in tough in the tournament without Tony Parker in the fold. Credit Boris Diaw for taking on an additional role and turning in a masterful quarterfinal performance, as the San Antonio Spur posted a team-high 15 points with five rebounds and three assists.

Really, though, it was a team effort for the French, with the group combining for 16 offensive rebounds to make up for a 39 percent shooting mark, and, again, this game was all about the defense, which was terrific.

France will now go on to play Serbia in a semifinal match-up on Friday at 4 p.m. ET. Considering few thought France and Serbia would be here, expect absolutely anything to happen.

Oh, also worth pointing out: Diaw has a chance to become a European champion, NBA champion, and World Cup champion all in the same basketball year.