This time the shots coming from elsewhere from Nadir Hifi will not have been enough. Nor the incessant encouragement from the Parisian public and the Kop Parisii. Higher, stronger, more powerful, more skillful, Monaco logically and largely won (59-88) this Sunday, during the 3rd match of the final of the French basketball championship against Paris Basketball.
After a one-sided first round for the Roca Team (90-80) and a second controlled by Paris Basketball (70-77), the 3rd tilted, from the start, in favor of the reigning champion. Crowned last season ahead of Victor Wembanyama’s Metropolitans, Monaco are now just one victory away from retaining their crown. It will perhaps be Wednesday during the 4th episode of this Star Wars which will still be held at the Adidas Arena. Otherwise on his floor, on the Rock, Friday during a beautiful decisive.
“It’s not over, you know, this is Paris”
For Paris, the situation has just gotten serious. Even if the Parisians have already achieved other miracles this season, the mission seems of a different caliber this time. After winning the Leaders Cup – the first trophy in the club’s history – in February and the Eurocup in April, Tuomas Iisalo’s players will have to win the next two matches to achieve an unprecedented treble.
“It’s not over, you know, this is Paris,” captain Mike Kessens said into the microphone after the match. But in these election times, Paris seems to be in an unfavorable swing.
The Parisian public, weaned since the beginning of the century, who had no longer had the opportunity to encourage or see an authentic Parisian team – intramural – in the final of the French Championship since the coronation of PSG Racing in 1997, is present for the appointment. Boiling, incandescent. The match is sold out (8,000 seats). Like next Wednesday. Despite the Roland-Garros final being held at the same time, Lilian Thuram and her son Khéphren, loyal supporters since the start of the playoffs, Lionel Jospin, the volleyball player Earvin Ngapeth and the comedian Malik Benthala had preferred the atmosphere of the Adidas Arena.
See you Wednesday
The show lived up to the bill. Spanked Thursday on their floor during the defeat of match 2, upset, the players of the Roca Team did not intend to show the same face. Especially in defense. The duel is fierce, committed, sometimes even bordering on street fighting, like the Monegasque Bossomgame, author of a “headline”. Every ball is hotly contested. After a strong start to the match (11-10, 5th), the Paris Basketball Player fell victim to the Monegasque hurricane which inflicted a 0-11 in 3 minutes (11-21, 8th). The gap climbs to 17 lengths at the start of the 2nd quarter (18-35, 12th).
Unlike the first lift of the final last Tuesday, the Monegasques are not relaxing their grip this time. They don’t want to win, they want to demonstrate their superiority. They won the decisive rebound battle and muzzled MVP TJ Shorts (4 points at the break, 9 in the end). The match turns into a lesson, a correction (51-78, 35th). Paris will not come back.
Tuomas Iisalo has 72 hours to find the solution. Otherwise the magnificent – and already historic – Parisian season could well come to an abrupt end on Wednesday.
