French basketball has been waiting for this for more than a quarter of a century: Monaco rose to the Final Four of the Euroleague basketball by sealing Wednesday May 10 with a third victory (97-86) in its series of quarter-finals against Maccabi Tel Aviv (3-2).
It is the first time that a club playing in the French championship has reached this stage of the competition since Villeurbanne in 1997. “I had just been born, it dates, smiled Elie Okobo. We will try to continue to write history and to go as far as possible. »
Only two deadlines now separate ASM from the European title: a semi-final against Olympiacos on May 19 in Kaunas, before a possible final two days later, still in Lithuania. The deal was less easy to finalize than the thundering start might have led you to think. When Sacha Obradovic’s men inflicted a 15-0 on the Israelis and took off (41-33) in the heart of the second quarter.
This highlight bore the signature of an impressive Mike James, piling up his 21 points (and 5 assists) before the middle of the game. But an injury forced the American star to go to the locker room, reducing his performance. Fortunately, Elie Okobo took over (4 points and 3 assists in the last quarter). As for Jordan Loyd, he got the decisive fouls: twice three free throws in the last four minutes, much contested by Tel Aviv. “Jordan was hot, it revived everyone, describes Okobo. We had to make defensive stops behind, give everything on the field because it was the last. »
A possible revenge against Olympiacos
With two matches won on each side (2-2), everything was at stake for Monaco in this fifth and final episode, like last year against Olympiacos. Except that their fourth place in the regular season allowed them to play this epilogue in their cocoon of Gaston-Médecin under the Louis-II stadium rather than in the hostility of Piraeus last year or the boiling Tel Aviv this season.
From its second participation, here is the Roca Team in the last four of C1, a real achievement for a team that was still playing in the French third division nine years ago. Monegasques have reason to hope. Their next semi-final opponent, Olympiacos, had to go through a fifth game against Fenerbahçe on Tuesday.
And last year, Monaco was close to crunching the Greeks. The Piraeus club had deprived him of the last four after a fiery fifth meeting. This time, it will be played on a dry match in Kaunas, Lithuania, the same for the eventual final. Captain Yakuba Ouattara promises: “We are not going there to do extras. »