This Tuesday evening, the Roca Team suffered a heavy defeat (92-67) at the Adidas Arena against Paris Basketball. Lacking conviction, struggling defensively and offensively, Monaco was overwhelmed by the Parisian liveliness. Vassilis Spanoulis’s men are trailing 2-0 in this final.
Second match of the Betclic Elite final between Paris Basketball and the Roca Team. A match that was crucial for the Monégasques after losing their first game. The keys for Monaco: to be present defensively and impactful in the opponent’s paint. Mam Jaiteh, Matthew Strazel, Elie Okobo, Jaron Blossomgame, and Alpha Diallo made up the starting five for the Roca Team.
Choppy first quarter
Monaco started the match seriously. Vassilis Spanoulis‘s men were present on the rebounds and incisive in the paint. An effort rewarded in the first minutes, influenced by the lack of accuracy from the Parisians at three points. The Paris Basketball only managed one long-distance shot out of six total in just four minutes.
Tensions rose midway through the quarter after an unsportsmanlike foul by Blossomgame. As during the Sunday afternoon’s match, the tension was palpable. And these first ten minutes were disrupted by numerous whistles. Both teams committed many fouls. In this edgy game, it was Paris who broke away. Faster, Tiago Splitter‘s men managed to put the Monégasques in trouble, who were too soft. Monaco’s difficulty at the end of this quarter was symbolized by the substitution of Nick Calathes: the Greek lost balls and struggled against the pressure of the Parisian attackers. At the buzzer, Monaco was trailing 20-13.
Monaco in trouble
At the start of the second quarter, Monaco was overwhelmed by Paris and TJ Shorts. They were maintained at a distance and collapsed against the Parisian offensives. The Roca Team hovered around a twelve-point deficit in the first minutes of the second quarter.
A trend that didn’t improve as time went on. Highlighted by Matthew Strazel‘s powerlessness on offense. Monaco suffered from a significant lack in their offensive play. Sixteen points behind with four minutes to go before halftime. The Monégasques isolated themselves, played one-on-one, committed fouls. The attitudes were not there. At halftime, thirteen points separated Monaco from Paris (41-28).
The Roca Team continues to sink
Returning from the locker room, Spanoulis attempted a gamble: bringing in Vitto Brown, who was rarely used until now. Yet, Monaco remained without solutions. Only Mam Jaiteh kept a lifeline for a team without energy and collective ideas. The Frenchman was the top scorer for Monaco after nearly thirty minutes of play.
Spanoulis was forced to take a timeout to stop the hemorrhage. The Monégasque ship was sinking against the physical engagement of Paris Basketball. The Roca Team was too disorganized to hope for a comeback. They trailed by twenty-five points before the start of the last ten minutes (70-45).
In the final quarter, nothing improved, Monaco sank into the abyss. Only the usual substitutes showed pride on the court. Meanwhile, the Parisian leaders could rest on the bench earlier than expected. Supporters at the Adidas Arena were singing loudly at the end of the match. The entire arena stood to witness the celebration. The Roca Team suffered a heavy defeat with a score of 92-67. Monaco fell from a great height and returned to their rock being trailed 2-0 in this final. “We have no solution, no rhythm. But we are a champion team. We will give it our all on Friday night, we don’t want to end the season without trophies,” said Mam Jaiteh at the end of the match. The next game is Friday night at 8:30 PM. If Monaco loses, Paris Basketball will win its first French championship title.
