Sunday afternoon, the Roca Team was defeated (94-82) by Paris Basketball in the first game of the Betclic Elite final. Struggling defensively, Vassilis Spanoulis’ men were overwhelmed by the offensive quality of Paris. 1-0 in the series for Paris.
First game of these Betclic Elite Finals between AS Monaco Basket and Paris Basketball. A confrontation between the two best teams in the French championship. Mike James is still absent for the Roca Team, despite the end of his suspension. Georgios Papagiannis, Elie Okobo, Matthew Strazel, Jaron Blossomgame, and Alpha Diallo formed the Monaco starting lineup.
A Summit Clash
From the first seconds, the duel kicks off: Matthew Strazel against TJ Shorts. The eyes meet. It’s Paris that starts the game better. Monaco loses several balls in the initial moments. Tiago Splitter’s men put the Monégasques in difficulty, especially with more intensity. It’s 12-7 after five minutes.
Paris continues attacking: this is the style of TJ Shorts’ teammates since the start of these playoffs. But Monaco is better organized and manages to counter the Parisian offensives. Relying on a highly valuable Mam Jaiteh (9 points in the first quarter and 5 rebounds). He’s everywhere on the court. At the end of the first quarter, the score is tight: 22-23 in favor of the Roca Team.
In the second quarter, the intensity doesn’t drop. Paris keeps going. The largest lead of the match so far occurs at the fifteenth minute of play: nine points in favor of Paris Basketball. The Roca Team can’t find an immediate solution against Paris’ play. The Parisians are transcendent in a packed Adidas Arena. The Roca Team doesn’t give up, even being somewhat distanced. Spanoulis’ men continue to be aggressive. The match lives up to its expectations. By halftime, Paris is back in the lead: 49-38. The Parisians are very accurate in attack. And Monaco struggles in defense, one of the problems of the Roca Team since the semifinal against ASVEL.
Monaco Penalized in the Third Quarter
After returning from the locker rooms, things don’t improve for the Monégasques. Still inaccurate in defense, as in attack. Particularly on three-point shots. After a timeout by Paris Basketball, Monaco continues to struggle. Elie Okobo makes efforts but the Frenchman is too alone. His teammates don’t make the effort. And lack solutions. Sixteen points behind with three minutes left in the third quarter.
Paris holds its duels. Even if there’s a slight improvement for the Roca Team in the last seconds of the third quarter, they are left trailing. 74-61 at the referee’s whistle. Monaco is against the wall in this first match.
Ten Minutes to Turn Everything Around?
At the beginning of the last quarter, Paris Basketball controls its lead. It’s Monaco who has to make the plays. The possessions follow one another for Splitter’s players, who let the twenty-four seconds pass. Fourteen points down with five minutes left in the game (83-69). The defeat of Monaco seems inevitable: they have no solution. No one to rally them.
Powerless, the Roca Team was dominated throughout. TJ Shorts (28 points) inflicted much damage to the Monégasques with his impact. They fall by 94-82. 1-0 in the final for Paris. “We didn’t do the job defensively, you don’t need to know basketball to know that. We have to respond by winning game 2 to return home with the score tied” said a frustrated Matthew Strazel at the end of the game. It’s up to Vassilis Spanoulis’ players to respond in the next match, Tuesday evening at 8:30 PM.
