In terms of tactics, the finals will be richer for both teams knowing each other well.
Stats review: Key themes in the BKT EuroCup Finals
The 2024 BKT EuroCup Finals are set to tip off this week as Paris Basketball will carry its nearly unblemished record into a matchup with a Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse team that beat them by 2 points in their lone matchup in the French League back in mid-December. Both teams shot the three well in that encounter, but Bourg settled in against Paris's full-court pressure after a couple early mistakes and protected the rim well enough to notch a hard-fought comeback win at home.
Defending Against Dominance
How well Bourg's defense holds up in a three-game series against an offense that will break the record for both points per game and points per possession figures to be the biggest key to this series. In their domestic faceoff, Bourg managed to hold their own around the basket – a real accomplishment given Paris leads the EuroCup in points scored at the rim, has shot remarkable 70% in close, and is set to break the EuroCup's record for two-point field goal percentage as well. Keeping Paris away from the rim starts with keeping them out of transition, and Bourg has done as good a job of any team in the EuroCup of not just preventing opportunities in the open floor but also defending well the ones they do allow. In their first game, it was the athleticism and activity level of their wings and forwards that proved to be the difference around the rim. Bourg is a somewhat unique defensive team from a personnel perspective as they do not play a classic, bruising center in many lineups but have mobile big men and size on the perimeter.
Pick-And-Rolls
The mobility of Bourg's big men and their intensity off the ball will be put under the microscope in the Finals as Paris finished first in the EuroCup in both pick-and-roll scoring and efficiency. Generating a record 44.6 points per game out of ball screens, Paris's ball handlers have shot a spectacular 51% in pick-and-roll situations while their teammates have converted 54% of the shots generated by their passes. T.J. Shorts and Nadir Hifi have made Paris a real pick-your-poison proposition with the ball in their hands this season, but Bourg ranked among the top teams guarding pick-and-rolls and the resulting passes this season, doing a great job preventing cuts and closing out shooters.
Drive and Kick
Bourg was one of five EuroCup teams to shoot over 40% from beyond the arc in catch-and-shoot situations this season. While its ball movement has been around the average this season, Bourg's 19 assists in that first encounter with Paris was key to the successful second-half comeback. With several players who drive an kick to open teammates, and a group of shooters who went 44% from beyond the arc on unguarded attempts, how well Bourg can use Paris's pressure against itself could flavor this series.
Lineups
Bourg and Paris were two of this season's deepest teams, using their benches far more than average. However, the four-man unit of Jequan Lewis, Jeremy Morgan, Zaccharie Risacher, and Isaiaha Mike has come through for Bourg in big games and Paris's decision to start or bring game-changing defender Collin Malcolm off the bench is something to monitor as well. The EuroCup's move to a best-of-three format for the latter rounds of the playoffs should make this series more of a back-and-forth chess match than last year's championship game.