Before the Limoges CSP match this Friday evening (8 p.m.) in Strasbourg on behalf of the 6th day of the French basketball championship, captain Nicolas Lang agreed to return to the record for the greatest number of successful 3-point shots in LNB which he is on the verge of beating and on his expectations in Alsace, his native land. Interview.
With only 3 3-point shots missing to beat it, are you thinking about this record before the match in Strasbourg?
Everyone has been talking to me about it since the start of the season. But I can do it and I have already done it since the start of the season. But there aren't many who do. It's not putting in a layup. And Strasbourg, they're not going to leave me alone 3 times and tell me “go, do your thing and then let's play.” Since the start of the season, I have managed it all very well. It will come when it comes. I'm just going to try to win. I'm not going to take a 3-point shot if I have 4 guys on me and I can go for a lay-up! And whether I beat this record in Strasbourg or at home with my wife and children, it will be good whatever happens. I stopped idealizing situations about how things should go. History will be written as it should be written. Today I am 34 years old. These are moments and situations that I have learned to master much better than when I was 22 or 23. Even if at this age, there is no record to beat. But on managing emotions. This is also where it should come in handy. There are so many collective interests that what really matters to me is trying to win this match.
“I did what I had to do to stay in the industry”
But does this record count in your eyes?
Yes, of course, but it's for an entire career. It's when you stop or the day after the match but not at the time. But I will never forget that 6 years ago, I was under a car (run over just after a championship match with Strasbourg) and that I almost quit playing basketball. Six years later, I am on my way to breaking this record. For me, these are the working hours during which I did what was necessary to stay in the industry, in the circuit. Stay serious during all these working hours, including during seasons when nothing goes well. For me this record is more about my seriousness and my longevity.
Can Limoges CSP win with less than 3 3-point shots made by Nicolas Lang?
I hope ! Even if Pau is not Strasbourg, we weren't that far there so I didn't have a good match. I think the defense has been pretty solid since the start of the season. We must continue to build on this. Afterwards, in each team, there is a hierarchy with players who need to slow down offensively to have a better chance of winning. But every time since the start of the season, we have had someone to take over. Mohamed Diarra last weekend. Against Dijon, it was Vincent Amsselem at the end. Against Nanterre, we had Tyrell Terry. We have weapons.
What do you expect from this match in Strasbourg?
I expect us to have a lot of concentration. That we really try to take this match. Not by saying to yourself that winning away is a bonus because you won the previous one at home. I would like us to put ourselves under the same pressure and tension as at home when you lost the week before. So a lot of concentration and let's go there to win.
“I would like to play a match like at home”
And that this is visible from the start like in Bourg-en-Bresse?
When you win at home, it doesn't necessarily show from the start. I would precisely like that in the 2nd half, we had that extra soul that we manage to have at home. When you are at minus 6, minus 7 or minus 8, manage to win the match despite that. Bourg was a bit the opposite. We had a great start to the match but when they came back, we were maybe a little in the mode, “we fought well but…” because we weren't supposed to win. In Strasbourg, no matter what happens in the first half, and even if it's not necessarily always going to be good, I'd like us to manage to make the necessary save, to get the rebound we need. You have to take the shot you need to take the match. I would like to play a match like at home but far from home.
What do you think of the Strasbourg team?
It’s a very well-built team. I think they would have one less defeat if their leader had not been absent. I find that Edon Maxhuni is quite underrated. He's not ultra flashy but we saw last season that he completely relaunched Le Portel. And he put them in the playoffs! Almost all by himself. We saw him facing Nancy. It directly puts organization. He also has a talent for scoring. And around that, there are two very impactful pivots in the racket (Dessert and Chikoko). There are also players in the shadows but who move the ball like Hugo Invernizzi. These are things that we don't necessarily see in the statistics. But when you have Maxhuni and Artis at the back, you need guys around who move the ball. And Hugo is his main strength. It's a very balanced team.
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