The final game of the last eight takes place in the French capital
Quarterfinals breakdown: Paris Basketball vs. Joventut Badalona
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5 Mins read
We are now into the final single-elimination round of the 2023-24 BKT EuroCup season, with Paris Basketball set to face Joventut Badalona in the quarterfinals following the Spanish side’s last-16 triumph over ratiopharm Ulm. Paris, having ended the regular season atop the standings in Group A, had a bye and thus begins its postseason journey on Thursday night.
Not only will this quarterfinal matchup be a colossal test between two of the favorites to go all the way this season, but it will also be the first EuroCup game that takes place at the brand-new adidas arena. Paris played all of its regular-season games at Halle Georges Carpentier, which holds up to 5,009 people, but it should be able to count on an even bigger crowd from now on, with adidas arena able to seat 8,000 spectators.
Paris has been close to unstoppable
Paris enjoyed a decent debut season in the EuroCup last year, going 10-8 in the regular season before beating 7bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys 97-98 on the road in the first round of the playoffs. Its postseason journey ended the following week, however, as it suffered a heavy 104-74 defeat to eventual champion Dreamland Gran Canaria in the quarterfinals. As such, a win over Joventut in this year’s last eight would see Paris make club history by reaching the EuroCup Semifinals for the first time.
This Paris team seems capable of doing something special, too, with guards TJ Shorts and Nadir Hifi both lighting up the EuroCup during the 2023-24 campaign. Shorts leads the EuroCup in PIR (22.6), assists (7.6 apg.) and two-pointers made (5.8), while he’s third in points (17.3 ppg.). Hifi, meanwhile, is fifth in both scoring (16.9 ppg.) and three-pointers made (2.6). Together, they form arguably the most threatening backcourt in the entire competition.
There is also a winning spirit among the Paris squad, with the team having gone a near-perfect 17-1 in the regular season. Its only defeat came at home to Besiktas Emlakjet Istanbul in Round 8, as the Turkish side came away with a 63-68 triumph in the French capital. Given that there are six players who followed head coach Tuomos Iisalo by joining Paris from Telekom Baskets Bonn, last season’s Basketball Champions League winner, that winning DNA has borne fruit during the current season and could be set to continue in the playoffs.
Joventut twice made Paris sweat
When Paris hosts Joventut next week, it will be the third time this season that they have faced off. The first, which came in Badalona in Round 7, saw an injury-hit Joventut take the game to overtime before Paris came out on top, 94-101. The second game, however, is perhaps the most interesting.
Although Paris was able to sweep the regular-season series against Joventut, winning 89-82 at Halle Georges Carpentier in Round 16, it was a game in which both teams were healthy and went right down to the wire. Joventut even led 77-79 with 3:28 left in the fourth quarter, but Hifi scored 10 points over the next 3 minutes to put Paris 89-82 ahead and put the win on ice. Nevertheless, it was a fascinating battle, which should spell good news ahead of this single-elimination quarterfinal tie.
Joventut is going to be a threat
Joventut finished the regular season with an 11-8 record, but it was very much a season of two halves for Coach Carles Duran’s squad. Injuries and a lack of cohesion with the new signings meant that the Spanish side got off to a 3-5 start. However, as players began to return, Joventut then went on a seven-game winning streak to improve to 10-5. It was a wobbly end to the regular season, with its loss to Paris in Round 16 being followed by defeats to Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv and Prometey Slobozhanke.
The good news is that Joventut managed to stop that trend in the eighthfinals, beating Ulm 79-88 on the road. Andres Feliz, who has emerged as one of the EuroCup’s best players this season, was the star on the night, netting a career-high 28 points and posting a career-best 36 PIR. Feliz is the player Paris needs to be the wariest of, but there are a plethora of options at Coach Duran’s disposal, namely Ante Tomic, Andrew Andrews and Shannon Evans. That’s not all, though, as there’s also Vladimir Brodziansky, Tyler Cook, Pau Ribas and Guillem Vives.
Joventut certainly has experience on its side, but it will not be easy against a Paris team that feels like the sky is the limit. Following an 89-86 semifinal to eventual champion Dreamland Gran Canaria last season, Joventut is keen to go another step further this year and claim its second EuroCup championship, having last lifted the trophy in the 2007-08 campaign. But first, it must defeat many people’s favorite to go all the way in Paris.