In the end, it seemed that nothing was going to stop the season's most dominant team from raising the cup.
Game 2 clincher topped off a pitch-perfect season for Paris
Article
3 Mins read
With a domination that belied the fact that few of them had ever played in the BKT EuroCup before, Paris Basketball put its name on the continental hoops map by sweeping to the title on Friday and punching its ticket to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague next season.
There was little doubt how much Paris deserved the achievement after it outlasted Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse 81-89 to win their best-of-three final series 2-0. Paris had previously beaten London Lions 2-0 in the semifinals and Joventut Badalona in the single-game quarterfinals for a perfect post-season atop their 17-1 run through Group A in the regular season.
Simply put, Paris was a tour de force this EuroCup season, and though it had to work hard to shake Bourg on a home court it had dominated all season, Friday was no different.
As always, Paris found a way to win
Working from behind on the scoreboard after Bourg came out firing with 6 first-quarter three-pointers, Paris never let the hosts get too far out of reach, trailing 26-22 after 10 minutes and 46-43 at halftime. Even when Paris reclaimed the lead in the third quarter, Bourg battled to take it back, 66-64 in the first minute of the fourth.
That's when Paris's pedigree came to the fore as TJ Shorts, the finals MVP, lobbed to Leon Kratzer for a killer dunk that seemed to change the momentum for good. Within half-a-minute, Mikael Jantunen was hitting a three-pointer that Tyson Ward would copy and Jantunen would do again for 9-0 run in 90 seconds that Bourg never recovered from.
"First, hats off to Bourg for an incredible game today," Paris boss Tuomas Iisalo said afterward. "They really forced us to the limit and brought the best out in us. We took their toughest punch in the first half and weathered the storm. I said to the guys at halftime, 'We're in great position. They made every shot and we're only 3 points down.' Then I went to the coaches' locker room and said, 'I hope they start missing shots.'"
The team that didn't miss when it counted, as all season long, was Paris. Whether it took teams out early or late, Paris always took them out, usually with exemplary offense, topping 100 points in 10 games to finish with the 97.0 points per game, the highest in EuroCup history. After winning Game 1 by just 77-64, though, Paris had plenty of firepower to take Friday's title-clincher 81-89.
A well-deserved celebration
The emotions that poured out at the end were borne of joy and a bit of relief after Paris had pushed for perfection throughout the EuroCup season, and cam without a narrow home loss of achieving it. The EuroCup trophy and a place in the EuroLeague were the ultimate rewards.
"It's a wonderful feeling," Iisalo said after the game. "And for those watching from home or watching here, all the emotions after the final buzzer, it's very hard to put into words. You've invested so much of your time. We've been together with the team and the staff more than with our families. We've traveled all over Europe and France in order to do something special together.
"When we set off on this project, with very big ambitions, to realize it, like this, in the first year, it's something incredible. How much hard work, how much dedication, how many sacrifices it has taken... When it all comest to fruition and everybody understands it was worth it, but how much it took, that's sports at its best."
Game Videos
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TJ Shorts: 'They're going to continue to doubt me...'
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Olympiacos Piraeus-Paris Basketball | RS Round 14 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse-Veolia Towers Hamburg | Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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TJ Shorts: 'We found our energy'
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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv-Paris Basketball | RS Round 13 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Thunder dunk by Kevarrius Hayes! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/rqHknWewwgU/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Paris Basketball-Virtus Segafredo Bologna | RS Round 12 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse-Valencia Basket | Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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Castaneda's circus shot! Magic Moment
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/9e7fbb9f-b9c1-43c3-8b5f-c4827720c7f0.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A135%3A146]()
Kokila's alley-oop dunk! Magic Moment
- 00:13
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/da09db6a-b68a-46db-ab98-3242e4652862.jpg?crop=1240%3A698%3Anowe%3A55%3A56]()
Benitez from midcourt! Magic Moment
- 00:12
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/5b091b35-661b-4107-8ca5-71df3383c017.jpg]()
Pansa throws it down! Magic Moment
- 01:17
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TJ Shorts: 'We're taking it game by game'
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Anadolu Efes Istanbul-Paris Basketball | RS Round 11 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Shorts breaks Poirier's ankle! Motorola Magic Moment
- 00:09
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/792c7725-bc50-433d-b859-3a20b4ccb96b.jpg?crop=1214%3A683%3Anowe%3A45%3A33]()
Malcolm throws it down! Motorola Magic Moment
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/PjpIeli7J0k/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Barcelona-Paris Basketball | RS Round 10 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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TJ Shorts: 'It was my whole team stepping up'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/86b0777d-c4eb-47a5-8f92-55f2634799e5.jpg]()
Paris Basketball-Zalgiris Kaunas | RS Round 9 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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TJ Shorts: 'This was an all-around team effort'
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Hapoel Bank Yahav Jerusalem-Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse | Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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Paris Basketball-Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade | RS Round 8 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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Tiago Splitter: 'We just kept fighting'
- 00:26
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Kokila throws it down! Magic Moment of the Night
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/ocb71ZYVov0/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana-Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse | Round 7 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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Kokila throws it down! Magic Moment
- 00:11
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/06508736-2828-4938-bfbd-26c41e4a69cb.jpg?crop=1350%3A760%3Anowe%3A0%3A119]()
Ayayi's behind-the-back pass! Magic Moment
- 00:59
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/11/01/wRc5ZkYbwdCKq9rmuUeXd48FHV4QSzD2-1730498030922.jpg]()
Mikael Jantunen: 'This was the most physical battle we've had so far'
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Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse-Aris Midea Thessaloniki | Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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ALBA Berlin-Paris Basketball | RS Round 6 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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TJ Shorts | RS Round 5 MVP | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:34
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/24/x792eLZ4PakTlCyLl1EWuJdydDa5f0EY-1729801852560.jpg]()
Tiago Splitter: 'TJ Shorts was a monster'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/Yl3bm2anffE/maxresdefault.jpg]()
AS Monaco-Paris Basketball | RS Round 5 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
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7-bet Lietkabelis Panevezys-Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse| Round 5 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
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![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/5b091b35-661b-4107-8ca5-71df3383c017.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A85%3A47]()
Pansa rejects Maldunas! Magic Moment
- 01:58
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/a56915b1-ff36-4c3f-84ad-d12c9a6d9a53.jpg?crop=1213%3A682%3Anowe%3A16%3A126]()
TJ Shorts: 'Monaco vs. Paris is going to be a true rivalry'
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/juqkMUTFrtE/maxresdefault.jpg]()
FC Bayern Munich-Paris Basketball | RS Round 4 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:36
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Sy's huge dunk! Motorola Magic Moment of the Night
![https://img.youtube.com/vi/xGkJFwBb2P0/maxresdefault.jpg]()
Paris Basketball-Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens | RS Round 3 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 01:09
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TJ Shorts: 'It's been a great day'
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/e6b72f01-53d9-4ebe-90a0-b24f62ba33f4.jpg]()
Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse-Turk Telekom Ankara | Round 4 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/4dc81ed6-42e7-429b-a06e-4d976d640f48.jpg?crop=1080%3A607%3Anowe%3A152%3A154]()
Malcolm’s steal and slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 03:46
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/11/HAMOF5uBjwCuKwvwnxH7uRSyo9bLbOmq-1728681341189.jpg]()
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Paris Basketball | RS Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 00:17
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/39f53613-42e0-409a-b8bf-dc7ff7efb844.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A268%3A0]()
Shorts to Hayes for the big slam! Motorola Magic Moment
- 03:52
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/08/ip6NP4IcETBK5bpLXneEI7dnwBc5wyOv-1728420036757.jpg]()
Umana Reyer Venice-Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse | Round 3 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:13
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/717339c0-02f6-4a0d-87fb-3b851db061ad.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A109%3A41]()
Pansa buries it! Magic Moment
- 04:16
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/ef0b413b-05a4-443f-8609-d16c7e4df62d.jpg]()
Paris Basketball-Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade| RS Round 1 Highlights | 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague
- 03:40
![https://dve-images.imggaming.com/original/p/2024/10/02/8Ti2tM5pWK6VShQkzCFb3IWcV9cWwoTE-1727900909529.jpg]()
Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse-U-BT Cluj-Napoca | Round 2 Highlights | 2024-25 BKT EuroCup
- 00:10
![https://media-cdn.incrowdsports.com/3e906256-d4a0-4e8f-9a50-e4ab1e46ecee.jpg?crop=1080%3A608%3Anowe%3A65%3A41]()
Magic Moment: What a pass by Benitez!
