“Paris is in its place in the Euroleague”, magical evening at Bercy with the defeat of the myth Panathinaikos

Monumental. Paris Basketball has chosen its opponent to win the first victory in the Euroleague in its history: Panathinaikos, defending champion and seven-time winner of the competition, beaten Tuesday at Bercy (84-80) without contest.

Frustrated by his first two outings, against Red Star Belgrade (80-77) and Milan (79-74), in the biggest European competition that he is discovering, the young Parisian club (created in 2018) did not this time he didn’t miss his chance.

11,000 spectators, a burning room and a tough match

«Winning this first victory, against the defending champion, who has a history of almost 100 years, means a lot for the club, which has only been in existence for six years and is +rookie+ (beginner) in the competition» appreciated the Parisian coach, the Brazilian Tiago Splitter.

«We send a message: we can win against any team, we are not going to be the team against whom it will be easy. Paris is in its place in the Euroleague» said Nadir Hifi for his part.

In front of some 11,000 spectators, including the now ex-Blues coach Vincent Collet (given a standing ovation at the end of the match when he was introduced) and judoka Clarisse Agbegnenou, Paris delivered a full match, in defense and attack, leading from the start at the end facing the Greek armada overwhelmed by the disheveled tempo imposed.

«We played at our own pace, which didn’t suit them. Otherwise we probably would have lost» pointed out Splitter.

The “Pana” of Olympic vice-champion Mathias Lessort suffered lightning, administered by a very aggressive defense and warning shots in attack from Hifi (20 pts), TJ Shorts (16 pts) and Colin Malcolm (14 pts, 3 /6 to 3 pts). The Parisians delivered a full match, in defense and attack for three quarters, having a 15-point lead in the middle of the second quarter (42-27, 16th) after a winning shot off balance and at the end of possession of Hifi. And they still had a cushion of 10 lengths at the end of the third quarter (69-59).

Lessort at the level

They were then more needy and laborious in the face of the return of the Greeks, who came back to blow their necks (73-68, 33rd) on a tap from Lessort, the only one to worry the Parisians in the racket (19 pts and 11 rebounds).

But this time the latter did not give in in the final moments, managing to grab points in the racket. Including three free throws on an unsportsmanlike foul (against Kendrick Nunn) coupled with a technical (for coach Ergin Ataman) giving them another 10 points lead (79-68) at a little over 3 min 30 sec to go. They also managed to keep their cool on the penalty line, like Sebastian Herrera three seconds from the buzzer (1/2, 84-80), who definitively sealed this first success while Panathinaikos came to blow a wind of fear when returning to a possession in the final moments.

The Parisians also obtained this historic victory through courage, battling in defense like TJ Shorts causing a minute later an offensive foul from Kostas Sloukas which made Bercy roar. Or to capture valuable rebounds, in attack or defense, like that of Kevarrius Hayes recovered in two steps with around thirty seconds remaining to give his team a breath of fresh air. Who could exult a few minutes later.