The three-time All-EuroLeague selection ensured his team left Milan with an important victory.
Mike James recovered from slow start to lead Monaco again
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In the opening stages of AS Monaco’s Round 6 trip to EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, it looked as though visiting superstar Mike James would not enjoy a happy return to Mediolanum Forum, the place he called home during the 2018-19 season.
James headed into the contest in great form – unsurprising, because that is his default level – after averaging 18.8 points and 6.6 assists through the first five games of the new campaign. What's more, in six games since being shown the exit door at Milan by head coach Ettore Messina, he had posted 19.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.2 steals against his former club. On Thursday night, he added to those numbers.
James’s difficult first half
However, it wasn't the best of starts. With Milan intent on improving its defense after shipping 98 points in a home defeat against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv just two days earlier, James just couldn’t get going. He and his team labored through the opening quarter, struggling to find any good looks at the basket, and finished that first frame trailing 18-13 with James registering not very grand totals of 0 points and 0 assists.
The 33-year-old did finally get on the scoreboard with a three-point play midway through the second quarter, but he didn’t stay on the court for much longer. In fact, his first-half frustration was evident when he picked up a technical foul – his third foul of the night – for complaining that he was fouled in the process of attempting a three-pointer, forcing him to the bench and meaning that he reached the interval with just 6 points and 2 assists.
“I started off slow, didn’t have a lot of rhythm going on,” James admitted after the game.
Monaco head coach Sasa Obradovic agreed, noting: “Mike didn’t start well, he complained with the referees, he had so-so body language.”
But nobody who has watched James become the fastest player in EuroLeague history to reach 4,000 points – a feat he achieved last week – would have expected that lack of productivity to continue.
A different James after the break
After the second half began with both teams struggling to find an offensive spark, James started to show his true level in the latter stages of the third quarter by making three baskets in the last 3 minutes, including a trademark sidestep triple as the buzzer sounded at the end of the period.
His old swagger was back, and James stayed in the thick of the action the rest of the way to assume his usual leadership role. A couple of tough baskets as the game approached crunch time protected a slender lead, but he was saving the best for last. When Shavon Shields scored to make it 66-67 with 35 seconds remaining, Coach Obradovic called a timeout... and you knew what was coming next.
And so it transpired. Monaco put the ball in the hands of James, who took time off the clock, loitered with menace just beyond the arc, and then pulled the trigger on a perfect three-point strike to make it a two-possession game. Just like that, James had shrugged off his ice-cold start to finish with 21 points on solid 8-of-14 field goal shooting, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals for a game-high PIR of 22. Just another night at the office.
The Monaco hero’s post-game analysis was straightforward, noting: “In the second half when I got back in, I tried to be aggressive like normal, tried to take some shots that I’m comfortable with shooting, and they went down."
He makes it sound so simple, and Obradovic admitted his game plan for that decisive final possession was also pretty simple.
"In the end he changed with some easy things and then it’s hard for anyone to stop him. So sometimes the plan is, ‘OK, give the ball to Mike!’”
Giving the ball to Mike... never a bad plan. And on Thursday, in the end, it worked to perfection for Monaco once again.