There was no suspense on Tuesday evening. Buoyed by a sold-out crowd, the Parisians produced a controlled match 1 from start to finish (77-64), a collective success under the leadership of Eurocup MVP TJ Shorts (15 points at 6/10). “We have a job to finish,” warned the top scorer of the evening, at the microphone of a packed and noisy Adidas Arena (8,000 spectators), a few seconds after one of the most important successes of his season. At home, Paris in any case hit very hard in the first match of the Eurocup final, outclassing Bourg-en-Bresse in a one-sided encounter.
The big favorite, on the strength of his incredible series of invincibility (18th consecutive victory this Tuesday), and his almost faultless run in the Eurocup (only one defeat in 21 matches), runner-up to Monaco in Betclic Elite, did not tremble against the JL and even had a lead of up to 27 lengths.
From the first seconds, Shorts set the tone of Parisian aggression, igniting the capital’s lair. The American leader scored the first four points, an aerial jump shot then an offering to Leon Kratzer (7 pts), an alley oop concluded by an authoritarian dunk (4-1, 2nd).
Throughout the first quarter, the JL struggled to find solutions in attack (23-11, 10th), hampered by the defensive aggressiveness of Paris and a glaring lack of skill (0/9 at 3 pts and 5/ 10 to 2 pts). If Jequan Lewis (10 pts in total), with two winning 3-point shots in 30 seconds, tried to sound the revolt on the Bourg-en-Bresse side (27-17, 11th), the locals quickly widened the gap ( 40-21, 16th), counting on Nadir Hifi (10 pts at half-time, 13 in total). Completely in control, the Parisians, like Sébastian Herrera (11 points 3/3 away), reached a 25-point lead just before the break (54-29, 19th).
To a trophy match
Three days after crushing Le Mans in the Championship (55-88), Paris remained on the same basis, despite a slight loss of skill, losing the third quarter 11-12 but consolidating its lead after returning from the locker room (60-33). , 23rd then 65-43, 30th) despite attempts to wake up from Axel Julien (9 pts), Bryce Brown (9 pts and 5 rebounds) and Hugo Benitez (5 pts and 4 assists).
An authoritarian dunk from Zaccharie Risacher, voted best youngster of the Eurocup (11 points and 4 rebounds), planted while getting the foul, allowed the JL, dominating the rebound (42 shots against 33) to go below the 20 point mark (71-52, 35th). But the Parisian armada, led by TJ Shorts, still as impactful as ever with 15 points and 5 assists (71 46, 34th), headed towards an 18th consecutive success.
Seven years after the first Franco-French European final between Nanterre and Chalon-sur-Saône in the FIBA Europe Cup (C4), it is therefore the young club from the capital (born in 2018) which started this series with authority best of three matches. In the event of victory in match 2 on Friday in Bourg-en-Bresse, Paris will offer itself its second trophy of the season after the Leaders Cup, synonymous with a ticket to the Euroleague. To continue dreaming of a first European title, Bourg-en-Bresse will have to show a completely different face and absolutely win at the Ekinox in three days to achieve a great decision, next Monday.
2024-04-09 20:33:11
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