France must avoid mistakes, giving Spain points

MADRID (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - France head into their Quarter-Final match-up with Spain on Wednesday knowing they must limit the number of mistakes they make if they are to prove worthy opponents of the hosts.

Given the fact that the Spaniards score points easily enough as it is - they are the second-highest scoring team at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup - Les Bleus are all too aware what their main priority ought to be.

"It's all about mistakes. You can change huge mistakes just by your concentration. I think we made so many mistakes in the first game and we have to reduce that," said France coach Vincent Collet.

In the first game between the two teams - an 88-64 Spain win in Granada's Group A - the French committed 15 turnovers, which is respectable, but Spain converted 11 steals into 11 fast break points.

"We gave them easy points. They didn't deserve them, we gave them to them," said Collet.

If we want to have a chance we cannot give them easy points because they can score very difficult points too - Collet

Boris Diaw agreed with his coach.

"If we look at the game we had in the first phase, we made too many mistakes. We started pretty good in the game but we know we made a lot of mistakes," said France's captain, who scored just three points to go with three assists and two rebounds on 1-of-6 shooting in the first Spain game.

We know the quality of Spain's team - Diaw

"We know that just a medium game is not enough against them. It's got to be almost a perfect game if we want to beat them."

Another problem in the first game for the reigning European champions and which they must correct is that Spain imposed their pace of the game.

"If we don't elevate our defensive level, there's no game. They're too talented. When you play against a team better than you, your first goal is to slow them down. If you want to be better than them you'll never win," said Collet.

"If we want to have a chance to win, our main concern is to limit them. If we don't take care of their rhythm and pace of the game, the game is over."