The 3-6 matchup gets underway on Wednesday night
5 key questions: Monaco vs. Fenerbahce
One series that is likely to get a lot of attention is AS Monaco’s matchup against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in the 3-6 matchup, with the two teams set to face off in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs for the first-ever time. Third-placed Monaco is in the postseason for the third year in its history, having only made its EuroLeague debut in the 2021-22 campaign, while this is sixth-placed Fenerbahce’s 10th trip to the playoffs. There are star matchups all over the court, but which five questions should be on people’s minds heading into this series?
Will Mike James wrap up the MVP?
The frontrunner to become the 2023-24 EuroLeague MVP is Monaco’s Mike James, who will all but certainly be handed the award with a strong showing against Fenerbahce and another trip to the Final Four. However, it won’t be easy. The playoffs are where a player can either confirm the voters that he is worthy of such an award, or it could open the door for a late surge by someone else. James will be certain to avoid any doubts by showing up against Fenerbahce, as he did during both regular-season games, recording 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in an 86-74 road loss before amassing 23 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in a 76-69 win at home. Expect James to be front and center in this series.
Can Fenerbahce address its slide?
Fenerbahce had been a team transformed since Saras Jasikevicius’s appointment as head coach ahead of Round 14, going 12-4 through his first 16 games to put the Turkish club in a great position to make the EuroLeague Playoffs. However, a 1-3 end to the regular season has put a dampener on things for Fenerbahce, which dropped to sixth position and fell out of contention for home-court advantage. The good news is that it has a stacked roster capable of beating any team in the EuroLeague – it beat all the playoff teams at least once during the regular season – so that should fill Jasikevicius’s men with confidence ahead of their showdown with Monaco.
How important will seeding be?
Curiously, Fenerbahce has only advanced once from five attempts when it has been the lower seed in a playoff series, doing so in 2016-17 when it swept Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens. The last two times it has been the lower seed, it was swept by CSKA Moscow (2020-21) and then lost in a five-game series to Olympiacos Piraeus (2022-23). Monaco, meanwhile, lost in Game 5 on the road at Olympiacos as the lower seed in 2021-22 but then beat Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv on its home floor in Game 5 as the higher seed in the 4-5 matchup. Monaco is once again the higher seed this time around, so will that make the difference?
Will playoff experience prove to be key?
Fenerbahce enters the playoffs with a roster that is the second-most experienced in terms of playoff games played, with 143 combined playoff appearances among the squad. For Monaco, that number is 79, making it the sixth-most experienced team in the EuroLeague Playoffs. Then, in terms of average age, Monaco has the oldest average age at 29.8, compared to 27.9 for Fenerbahce, the fourth highest. While the majority of this Monaco side were part of the team that made it to last year’s Final Four, something Fenerbahce hasn’t achieved since 2018-19, it is advantage Fenerbahce when it comes to playing postseason basketball in the EuroLeague.
Which coach will make the difference?
Coach Obradovic and Coach Jasikevicius have faced off seven times as head coaches in the past, with the Lithuanian tactician enjoying a 5-2 record against his Serbian counterpart. In fact, Jasikevicius also has the advantage when it comes to postseason basketball, having gone 16-13 to date in the playoffs and Final Four. Obradovic, meanwhile, is 6-6, all of which have come with Monaco. In addition to the battles on the floor, seeing the two coaches trying to outwit one another should also make for fascinating viewing. Which players should be in the closing group? How will they react to a defeat? These are questions that Obradovic and Jasikevicius will be dealing with, and the coach who handles things the best is likely to be the one who ends up celebrating a spot in the Final Four.