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Tyrone Wallace, Paris: 'The only game that matters is this one'

Tyrone Wallace, Paris: 'The only game that matters is this one'

Interviews

18 April 202311 Lesezeit

Tyrone Wallace, Paris: 'The only game that matters is this one'

Paris Basketball was the only team to win on the road in EuroCup Eighthfinals - it defeated 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys 97-98 in a thriller - and the Parisians could not have done it without Tyrone Wallace. The guard stepped up in crunch time and buried a critical three-pointer in the final minute that gave Paris a 4-point lead and put his team in the driver's seat. He finished the game with 19 points and 10 assists for a PIR of 24. Wallace is in his first EuroCup season after six seasons split between the NBA and the G-League. He has averaged 15.9 points on 85.2% free throw shooting, 3.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.6 steals for a PIR of 18.6 in 14 EuroCup games. Paris has been without Kyle Allman since Round 10 and Wallace has taken over as the go-to guy, scoring at least 13 points in all but one game. He's averaged 21.7 points and 6.3 steals in his team's last three games. Wallace said in this interview that he wished Allman was back, but understood his role would increase in his absence. "I would much rather have Kyle on the floor with me. It makes things a lot easier for me," Wallace said. "But we always talk about just the next guy up and with Kyle out, I knew I would have to take more responsibility than I already had with handling the ball and being the guy that kind of can get my teammates going as well, as get myself going. So I have enjoyed it."

Congratulations on the win against Lietkabelis. Did you expect such a high-scoring game in a do-or-die game?

"I think that's kind of our style of play. We like to get up the court quick, play in what we call 'green', which is just transition a lot. We are trying to push the ball as well."

You dominated all the hustle stats, getting more offensive rebounds, steals and blocks than Lietkabelis. How important is that physicality for your team?

"It's very important. Our key going into the game was to pick them up full court the whole game, try to speed them up. We knew they were a team that wanted to run through their sets. So in order to have success, we needed to kind of get them sped up. And so I think we did a good job over the course of the game of using our pressure to maybe wear them down a little bit. And that kind of plays to our advantage."

"Every game from this point out is going to come down to all the little details."

You buried a critical three-pointer in the final minute that pretty much put you on the right track to win. Can you take us back to that play?

"Yeah. Throughout the game, I thought I got some good looks [and they] just didn't go down. I mean, it happens, some games you're going to make them, some games you're going to miss them. But throughout the game, I just try to stay aggressive and down the stretch, fourth quarter, I was attacking the basket and I was having success. And on that play specifically, I think I tried to get into the lane. I didn't have anything, so I passed it out to Jeremy [Evans] and he ended up passing it right back. And so they switched. They ended up switching, so I had a big on me and I knew he was going to play the drive and try to back up just because of the speed, probably speed difference. And so I felt him take a few steps back like he was playing the drive and I knew I'd have a good look at it. And I just rose up and took the shot."

This is your first EuroCup season and your first experience in Europe. How do you like the EuroCup in terms of playing level and competitiveness?

"I think it's probably better than what I expected. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect. Like you said, it's my first year over here, but I think it's been very competitive. The league has been very physical. It's a lot different than the States to me, just in terms of the rules, of course, no defensive three [seconds]. It kind of brings me back to the college days, but as well as the play style, I think the game's a lot slower. It's more of a grind-it-out game, where every possession teams are picking up full court. If there's switches, they're trying to go to the post, which is a little bit different than the States where it's more free-flowing and I feel like fast-paced. So it was definitely an adjustment to get used to this style of play more and to figure out where you can be successful and get your looks from."

How about the competition system, with so many do-or-die games until we crown a champion?

"I definitely like the competition... For me, I feel like every game has been pretty much close. Like, there's very few blowouts, I feel like, and so with that, you have to come into every game with the mindset that even if you are an underdog or the team you are facing is an underdog, that these games can very well end in the last few possessions and who makes those plays that will determine who wins. So I think the competition is very good. Like I said, we just got away with a 1-point victory, so I feel like every game from this point out is going to come down to all the little details and will be close."

You've played against Gran Canaria twice this season and lost twice. What is the biggest lesson you learned from those losses that you can use now?

"I think when you are playing a team that you are familiar with, from a scouting standpoint, you already know the players. There are some things you might tweak from a coverage standpoint or how you want to guard defense, certain things. But I think there's no real advantage for both teams, to be honest. We play on the road, so if anything, playing in front of their crowd, they might have the advantage there. But other than that, I think you still have to go out and you still have to execute your game plan. And they might have beat us two times this season, but the only one that really matters is going to be this one coming up next week. So I think that also when we went down there, we weren't healthy. I think we might have had 7-8 guys that were healthy in those games, we were missing a lot of guys. And that's been the case for us all year. So I think now we are pretty much healthy. This is probably the most healthy we have been all season, and we get a chance to go in there in a playoff environment and try to steal one. So I think it will be fun."

Especially since Kyle Allman went down, you have played a leading role on the team. How much are you enjoying being the team's go-to guy?

"I mean, I would much rather have Kyle on the floor with me. It makes things a lot easier for me. But we always talk about just the next guy up and with Kyle out, I knew I would have to take more responsibility than I already had with handling the ball and being the guy that kind of can get my teammates going as well as get myself going. So I have enjoyed it. I feel like these are the type of things that you want as a player. You want your coach to be able to rely on you and to put the extra responsibility on you. I think at times it's been tough without Kyle, for sure. Just seeing the amount of attention that I have gotten in terms of scouts and defensive coverages, but I think I have taken a sense of pride and being able to get my guys involved. And then when I'm able to get them involved, I'm able to open up the game for myself and kind of free myself up when I do that. So I enjoy that responsibility and I think it's been fun, but I definitely will be happy to get him back."

"We as a team have been through a lot of adversity this season and I think as of late we've really started tapping into who we can really be."

Now that you have been there for six months, what is the best thing about living in Paris?

"I don't know if I can choose one. I think the people are really nice in Paris. I have enjoyed my time here. I get to go to the city quite often and go eat at different restaurants and go to different places with some of my teammates. And I think I have just been just enjoying it as a whole. To be honest, I don't know if I can necessarily pick one thing, but I think people have been really great. All of our French staff, coaches have been outstanding, great people, and also the people that are here, that I have been able to be around. They have all been great and helped me in different ways to get accustomed to life here in Paris at one point or another."

How difficult are these do-or-die games from a mental standpoint?

"I think just being locked in no matter what's going on in the game. I didn't feel like I was having my best game early in the first half but we went into halftime and we were up 1 point, and so we were very much in a game where I'm like, 'we can win this game'. Even though I felt like I wasn't playing the best at that point, it's always just to stay locked in, stay ready, you're going to make the plays, do you know what I mean? And I think that's the biggest thing, to not let any moment feel like it's too big for you, and to know that if you are confident and you believe in your game, like you can make the plays and you will make the plays that you need to."

You are now three wins away from winning the title. What would it mean for you to win the EuroCup and to take the club and the city of Paris back to the EuroLeague?

"Oh, man, I think it would be great. I know this is a fairly new team, Paris. This is our first year in EuroCup as well. My first year overseas, I think it's a lot of first-timers. But we as a team have been through a lot of adversity this season and I think as of late we've really started tapping into who we can really be. And I mean, what better time than right now in the playoffs for the EuroCup? And so I think just for everybody as a whole, we've got a lot of ambitious guys on our team, whether it be players, coaches who really put in the work and want to go further and improve. And so I think just winning the EuroCup would be great for Paris, for our team, for the players and the coaches and everybody that's putting in the work each and every day. I think it would mean everything and it would help everyone involved, for sure. So it definitely would be a blessing."