TJ Shorts drove to the basket and three years of frustration were extinguished in a split second. In six confrontations, Paris had never managed to surpass Monaco. The capital club ended the series in the semi-final of the Leaders Cup on Saturday evening (98-93). Sixteen seconds from the gong, the will-o’-the-wisp leader of Paris Basketball, author of 23 points and 5 assists, had just given his team a decisive advantage (96-90).
Tuomas Iisalo’s men delivered a jewel of self-sacrifice to manage to overthrow the French champion, who remained on 12 victories in 13 matches in all competitions and seemed untouchable. Saturday, Betclic Elite’s best defense (73.9 points conceded per match, 98 yesterday for the first time this season), took on water from all sides, appearing tired and crumbly, not to say very lax in sequences . She did not know how to prosper on the lead built in the second quarter (45-33, 16th) behind an exceptional individual sequence from Elie Okobo (12 of his 15 points in the second period), untenable in one against one and at the pass (6 assists).
Hifi in Mike James mode, precious Ngouama
Dominated in combativeness and rebounding (31-35, 13 offensive shots conceded to the Parisians despite being deprived of Tyson Ward, hit in the calf), sectors where they traditionally reign, clumsy behind the arc (7/24), the Monegasques were weighed down by one of the worst matches of the season from Mike James, held to 17 points (but 6/15), as well as a guilty collective address on free throws (18/27).
Opposite, the 3-point address has long allowed Paris to stay in the game. Shorts kept his team afloat in difficult times, while Nadir Hifi (14 points, 6/12) scored a cheeky decisive shot – à la Mike James – in the money-time, well assisted by Justin Simon (13 units) or Mehdy Ngouama, ultra-precious (10 points in 11 minutes, the dunk to put Paris back in control at 86-85, 35th) and also decisive in the last minutes.
Sunday, Paris Basketball, which has just returned with fanfare to its new arena, Porte de la Chapelle, will aim against Nanterre, in an unprecedented final (the Leaders Cup has never crowned an Ile-de-France club) a first trophy in the elite after only five years of existence.
2024-02-17 22:15:18
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