There remains a little more than a minute to play when the Parisian bench jumps for joy and congratulates itself. Jean-Christophe Prat, the coach, who spent the whole match jumping along his sideline to reframe his players, can finally breathe, release the pressure. Present in the stands, Parisian President David Kahn can also breathe. The last seconds will be dedicated to the many scenes of Parisian joy. The mission is accomplished for Paris Basketball.
In the obligation to impose themselves on the parquet floor of Boulogne-Levallois, Tuesday evening during the last day of the regular season, to ensure their maintenance in Betclic Elite, the Parisians took up the challenge, to win “this final” as presented her to Prat, and accomplished this most delicate mission. All with a panache that they had rarely shown this season. Dominators, authoritarian on both sides of the field, they have imposed themselves largely (65-81) on the floor of their prestigious neighbor. The results of Fos at Portel and Orléans at Gravelines, the direct adversaries in the fight to maintain, became anecdotal.
The joy was total. Crazy party. At the final buzzer, the many Parisian supporters, those of Kop Parissi, who had made the short trip to Levallois could not resist the pleasure of invading the floor by the dozens to join the party with the players. Amara Sy, who was playing her 586th and last pro match at the age of 40 and who received a moving tribute at the start of the match, “can leave in peace”, “the feeling of accomplishment”, he says.
Juhann Bégarin and Ismaël Kamagate too. The two very precious young Parisians can now join the United States and their NBA dreams with a clear mind. They participated in the rescue of their club. “It’s a club that we have all helped to build for 4 years (Editor’s note: the club was created in 2018), it is important that he stays in Betclic. It was fundamental! savors coach Jean-Christophe Prat who, visibly physically and mentally exhausted in recent weeks, has left doubts about his future at the club. But frankly, the players have to be congratulated. They have been great. I have no words to say how proud I am of them. »
The ambitious project of Paris Basketball can continue serenely. The club, promoted this season, could also compete in a European Cup next season because it has requested an invitation for the Eurocup. A great way to prepare for your arrival in the Porte de la Chapelle arena, and its 8,000 seats, for September 2023.
For his part Vincent Collet did not have to recognize his team, this formidable winning machine which has long monopolized the first of the championship throughout the season. Tuesday she was only a shadow of herself. The best offense in the championship, with an average of 86.9 points scored per game, did not exceed 65 units. “It hasn’t happened often this year, only twice, during the first at Le Mans (83-65 defeat) and this evening, specifies Vincent Collet. Our two worst games of the year to start and finish the regular phase. We haven’t often been below 85 points…” “Paris played a real survival game and we couldn’t answer, regrets Bandja Sy, the Mets winger and younger brother of Amara. Tonight it wasn’t us. »
While they could finish in one of the first two places, and have the advantage of the field until the final of the championship, the Mets finally finished in 3rd place behind Asvel and Monaco. They will face Pau in the quarter-finals of the playoffs. “We are not going to throw everything away after tonight’s game, continues Collet. We will have to pull ourselves together quickly for Tuesday or Wednesday but the objective is to go to the half. »
While they are in conflict as to the destiny and the future of the club, Agnès Pottier-Dumas, mayor of Levallois, and Pierre-Christophe Baguet, his counterpart from Boulogne, witnessed this defeat side by side. Only separated by Georges Siffredi, president of the Hauts-de-Seine departmental council. In addition, while Baguet had sent a letter at the end of April to the Levallois leaders of the club to offer them to buy back 95% of the capital of the company, the city councilor of Boulogne met the players during the day to reassure them about the sustainability of the Boulogne project.
For Parisian players the season is now over. And the return by bus to The One Ball, the sports complex in Noisy-le-Grand where they train and which serves as their place of life, promised to be more festive.
A few kilometers away, on the other side of the Seine, Nanterre won at the buzzer, on an improbable shot from midfielder Jeremy Senglin, against Strasbourg (77-74). Despite this victory, Pascal Donnadieu’s band will not play in the playoffs either.
