Back in the top six and feeling good about itself, the French club still has a long way to go if it is to secure an automatic place in the playoffs
Step one complete: Now Paris must gear up for tough three-game road stretch
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Regular Season
Round 30 of 34
Group Regular Season
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Paris Basketball has amazed basketball fans all season long with its play, led by Turkish Airlines EuroLeague rookie TJ Shorts and first-year head coach Tiago Splitter, and the side from the French capital put on a show against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on Tuesday night.
Following three successive defeats, Paris knew that anything less than a win would have been devastating, particularly as Milan had the head-to-head advantage after triumphing by five points in Round 2. But a 92-79 victory in Round 30 allowed Paris to secure the tiebreaker and take another step forward in its bid for a top-six finish.
The hope for a direct passage to the 2025 EuroLeague Playoffs is now well and truly on as Paris's victory over Milan allowed it to rise up the standings and back into sixth place. There was a celebratory mode inside Adidas Arena after the team's penultimate home game of the season, yet there is still plenty of work to do if Coach Splitter's squad is to avoid playing in the Play-In Showdown or even dropping out of the postseason picture altogether.
The next three games are going to be vital for Paris. In the double round next week, the EuroLeague newcomer has the unenviable task of facing Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in back-to-back road games, then in Round 33 it travels to take on Real Madrid. However, Splitter is choosing to look at the positives.
"I think it's always great when we travel," he told EuroLeague TV. "The team, the bonding, is unbelievable.
"We go to dinners together, we stay a lot [together] when we travel – on the bus, airplane – and I feel like on those road trips, the team is special. Hopefully we can go to those tough places and get the W."
Paris now has a two-win cushion over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Real Madrid, which share a 15-14 record but occupy 10th to 12th in the standings. Remember, only the top 10 sides qualify for the postseason, with teams six through 10 battling it out for two playoff spots via the play-in.
Admittedly, Paris has played a game more than the rest, aside from Milan, but Shorts is feeling as confident as ever.
"I wouldn't say it's back, it never left," Shorts said of Paris's mojo. "Even in our down times, the flow is still the same. We've still got energy, we've still got the vibes. I know people are watching, so nothing has changed. Win, lose or draw, we're going to be ourselves. We're going to be authentically us."
That message is going to have to be stressed even more so over the next three rounds. One big positive for Paris is that it already has experience this season of winning on the road against elite opposition, having stolen wins at AS Monaco, FC Barcelona and Olympiacos Piraeus.
This has been a magical first season in the EuroLeague for Paris, but the job's not done yet. The mission continues, starting in Istanbul next Tuesday night.