By Le Figaro, with AFP
Published 37 minutes ago, Updated now
TJ Shorts and his teammates in the Eurocup final! Michael Baucher / Michael Baucher / Panoramic
Winner of London this Friday, in England, Paris Basketball reaches the final of the Eurocup. Giant.
Paris Basketball qualified on Friday for the first European final in its young history, that of the Eurocup, where it will face Bourg-en-Bresse or Besiktas, who will decide on Friday in Ain during a match of support. Unlike the Bressans, beaten in the Sinan Erdem Dome cauldron in Istanbul (82-71), the Parisians did not miss the opportunity to fold the affair in match 2, won on the grounds of the London Lions (93-85) as the first at home (99-86).
Paris, which took a step forward in the off-season with the arrival of Finnish coach Tuomas Iisalo, who arrived from Bonn with six players and two assistants in his luggage, is the third French team to reach the final of the second European competition after Strasbourg (defeat in 2016) and Monaco (title in 2021). From April 9, he will seek his first major trophy as well as automatic qualification in the Euroleague.
As is often the case this season, the best team of the regular season (17 wins for one loss) exhausted their opponent throughout the second half by imposing intense pressure on them on both sides of the field. Led by six lengths at half-time (45-39) by the Londoners of ex-Manceau Matt Morgan (25 pts), the Parisians were awakened by Tyson Ward, who scored seven points at the start of the third quarter. time.
Shorts still capital
It was again the American guard (9 pts, 2 assists and 2 interceptions) who increased the lead to nine lengths at the start of the final period (73-64) with a lay-up after a block and a ball recovered by Bandja Sy, still precious. The Parisian club, winner of its first trophy (the Leaders Cup) in mid-February just after moving into its new Arena at Porte de la Chapelle, was also able to count on its fiery rear duo composed of TJ Shorts (21 pts) and Nadir Hifi (13).
The American leader, MVP of the last Champions League (C3) won with Bonn, with a winning shot, gave his team a 10-point lead 2 min 30 sec from the siren (83-73), then imitated by Hifi (86-76). Chilean shooter Sebastian Herrera scored a new long-distance arrow 50 seconds from the buzzer (91-78).
