Paris Basketball is closing in on one of the best seasons in EuroCup history as it is setting offensive records and has lost just once in 21 games. It now heads into the finals with the home-court advantage in the best-of-three series against Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse. Mikael Jantunen will be our insider in the series, sharing his thoughts on the 2024 EuroCup Finals. Born in Helsinki, Finland, Jantunen started his career in his hometown, playing for HBA-Marsky. He also suited up for the University of Utah, Filou Ostend of Belgium and Treviso Basket of Italy before joining Paris last summer. Check back here for Mikael's thoughts until the 2023-24 EuroCup champion is crowned!
Mikael Jantunen, Paris: 'We know what's at stake'
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Hello, EuroCup fans! It's been a great season for Paris so far, but I think it all started with the work that we did in August and now, we are in the part of the season where the work is starting to pay off. I know it's been a long season and it's been a good season so far, but it comes from the work we put into practice every day and that shows up on the court. So yeah, it's been a great season and we are trying to finish it strong, too.
This is my first season with Paris and also my first with Coach Iisalo. I knew him before I came here. Actually, he coached against me in Finland. I think it was one of his first years coaching when I was playing for a youth club in Finland and he was coaching another youth club. That was the first time I remember him as a coach. Of course, I knew him as a national team player; I watched him when I grew up, but that was one of the first times he coached against me. And after that, of course, I followed his path as a coach and his results. I also talked to him in the summer when I saw him in Finland, but he had never coached me before this year.
"Playing a final is always special, it is a privilege."
He came along with six players from the same team, Telekom Baskets Bonn, to Paris. That has its own challenges, coming into a pretty much ready system, but the adjustment was pretty quick. A lot of guys know what they are supposed to do, and it makes it easier. At the same time, you have a lot of guys who can help you. You see what you are supposed to do and it makes it easier. Like, if you have four guys who played for him for a year or two already, you notice the small things and you see that maybe you are not as connected at some point. So of course, it has its challenges, but also it is a nice situation to come into a system that a lot of players were familiar with, the staff was familiar with, and it was kind of easy to jump in. There was a lot of learning and that happened in the beginning, but it made it transition pretty easy with a lot of guys familiar with it.
We are seen as an offensive-minded team but everything starts from our defense. I think that's where when we are at our best, that's where it all starts, when we get stops and then we get to play the type of offense we want to. But it all starts with our defense. Of course, we have had some great offensive games this season, but I would say that's still the focal point: being able to play solid defense. That's when we get to do the things we want to do on offense. Everything starts with team defense.
The last three playoff games were a new challenge for me as I had to play at the '5' position a little bit more than usual. I am ready to play the position the team needs, so if that is the '5' man, I have to be ready to step up. I know the positions and what I am supposed to do in that position. I know I can do it. I played at the center spot before in my career, too, so it was not like I was in unfamiliar territory. But then, of course, it's always a new challenge to do that. I know what I'm supposed to do in that position. We have this next-man-up mentality for that position.
I am super excited about the EuroCup Finals! Playing a final is always special, it is a privilege. Bourg got the best of us earlier this season and they are a really good team. They have had a great season so far, too, so it's going to be a challenge for us. But at the end of the day, we are gonna play our game and going to look at trying to do the things we do well. We've practiced since August. We know the type of basketball we want to play and what it takes to win, and I think that's what we focus on.
There is a little extra motivation because Bourg already beat us once this season. We know they are capable of beating us, so we've got to be super locked in. We know Bourg pretty well and we will take a good look at them. But as I said, it is our identity, our stuff that's gonna matter the most and those are the things we practice every day. So we just have to do that at a really high level and, if we do all that, we've got to be confident that the work we have done, the work we have put in, is going to be enough.
"This club is ambitious and making it to the EuroCup finals is a part of the process."
I know Petteri Koponen won the EuroCup because he told me about it and I had a guess that Hanno Mottola won it, but that gives me a little extra motivation. You want to be there and be able to match their success. But I think Finnish people are going to follow the finals also because of our head coach. Of course, a lot of Finnish people are interested in seeing his system and his team and then we are two Finnish people on the team, so that's a little extra special for them. Maybe some of them will travel to Paris, it is easy to get here from Finland. Hopefully, I will see some Finnish flags in the arena. I think some people will come and a lot more will be watching from home, so it is going to be nice.
This club is ambitious and making it to the EuroCup Finals is a part of the process. They want to take it to the next level. They have the facilities and the organization for it and they put in a lot of work. They want to be in the EuroLeague. That's the goal that we set out at the beginning of the season and it would be a really big thing for the club and the city. Paris is a pretty central city in Europe also, so it wouldn't be a bad place to have a EuroLeague team! But right now, it is one game at a time. Winning the title is on the players' minds and of course, we know what's at stake. Everybody is waiting and ready for it. We have a new arena, which was one of the club's goals, and are getting more and more people at the games. It's unbelievable. We have to keep performing so that fans will want to show up to the games, and we want to have a home-court advantage. We are playing in one of the nicest basketball arenas I have played in during my career and I expect all of our fans to be there in Game 1!