Thursday evening, a few minutes after the first round of the Betclic Elite semi-finals against Asvel, Tuomas Iisalo appeared in front of the press with a black look. Jaw clenched. “I cannot tolerate this”, “we can and must be better”, “I hope we will learn from this” said the Paris Basketball coach. However, and contrary to appearances, his team had just won their duel against Villeurbanne (94-81) and took control in this best-of-five-game series.
But what the best LNB coach this season “did not understand” was the relaxation of his players from the second quarter. After offering a recital to the public and offering a basketball lesson to Asvel for 11 minutes (38-11), the partners of Nadir Hifi released their embrace, leaving more space. If Paris was never really threatened by its opponent, it still saw it come back to 6 short lengths (57-51, 26th). A free warning.
“We worked 10 months to get here, we have a chance of achieving something incredible,” he continues. Of course we can be beaten if the opponent is better, but if we beat ourselves it’s a very unpleasant feeling. I still carry certain memories with me and I don’t want to relive that again. I try to convey to the players that these opportunities are not going to come back often. The important thing is now. »
Already winner of the Leaders Cup – which is the first trophy in the history of this club born in 2018 and in the elite since 2021 – and the Eurocup, Paris can achieve an unprecedented treble and establish itself a little more among the elite French basketball.
“A great challenge to take up” for Asvel
Thanks to its victory in match 1, Paris certainly took a mathematical advantage but not necessarily a psychological one. The second round, Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Adidas Arena, can be crucial. It can reset the counters to zero or allow Parisians to take a good option before going to the Rhône on Tuesday for the 3rd act.
TJ Shorts partners will have no room for error. Especially since the accumulation of matches could start to take its toll and work against them. Winners of Cholet on Tuesday during the quarter-finals, they will play 3 matches in 5 days. Asvel, which had validated its ticket for the last four on Sunday, could benefit from it if the series drags on.
“We knew how to come back even though we could have given up,” whispered Pierrick Poupet, the Asvel coach who has lost three games in three games against Paris this season. One team was superior to the other throughout the match (THURSDAY), it would be lacking in humility not to recognize it, but it’s just a game. We will analyze it to show another face to the next person. We have a great challenge to take on. »
