Fenerbahce’s dreadful endgame will be the story of the match. They only got in that situation because Mike James finally found a way to contribute and for a Game 5 at home for AS Monaco in the Euroleague playoffs.
Mike James almost cost AS Monaco the game and their Euroleague season. Instead, dreadful endgame management by Fenerbahce meant it was his lone three-pointer on the night that proved crucial in Game 4.
Shutdown operation succeeded
I’m going to get to the good but we have to start with the bad. That’s the bad that came before the good. I’ll also get to the bad that came after the good. Mike James was not a factor for most of this game.
His raw stats alone showed that Fenerbahce’s defensive plan for him succeeded. James was limited to 4 of 14 shooting, including 1 of 6 from deep. All of that came with Fenerbahce avoiding fouling the presumptive Euroleague MVP. He only drew two all night.
The most important player for any team in Euroleague, with the possible exception of Edy Tavares at Real Madrid, was a non factor for the bulk of his 33 minutes on the floor. Even with what came from Fenerbahce late in the game, making Mike James not matter is a defensive achievement. The team had a job to do on that end of the floor and it delivered brilliantly.
The good
Champions find ways to win ugly. Great players find ways to matter even on off nights. Mike James had to wait a long time for his moment but he didn’t shirk it. After a steal by Tarik Biberovic, Donta Hall raced down the court to make a big block. The Monaco team immediately calmed down.
James strolled into position. He pondered a few crossovers on Marko Guduric. Eventually he got one to work, made the step back and boom. There was breathing room, albeit not much, for the visitors.
𝗖𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘 𝗦𝗘́𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗗𝗘 𝗟𝗔 𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗔 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 ! 🔥
DONTA HALL 🚫
MIKE JAMES 🎯@ASMonaco_Basket x @EuroLeague#SKWEEKLive #EveryGameMatters #SKWEEK #alwaysON pic.twitter.com/wAMPkMiQAP— SKWEEK (@skweektv) May 3, 2024
That three was vital to the tempo of what followed. With so little left on the clock, any lead of more than a possession mattered. Monaco had control. Indeed, they maintained control. Everything was in control. Right up until, well, you know…
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Inexplicable late game management
Absolutely everything that happened in the final 18 seconds of the game was illogical. First, we must sadly look at Mike James. Game theory this out a bit. There were a few possible outcomes.
James could find a good inbounds to create a way to add another score for Monaco while killing some clock. He could have achieved the most likely outcome, inbounding and one of his teammates would immediately be fouled. Then he could have even inbounded and turned the ball over. All of these were better options than a 5 second violation.
That gave Fenerbahce time to set something and create a score while wholly controlling the clock. Fener, of course, failed hard with a disastrous play design that seemed to be of the “let’s see what happens” variety but it got worse.
There were still 5.1 seconds on the clock and Fener could have fouled. Granted, they’d at best have been looking at 3.5 seconds to do something after the resulting free throws. It’s not much but still, Fener’s players somehow didn’t react to foul immediately and Monaco killed the game comfortably. This was Game 4 of the Euroleague playoffs, not some preseason tournament. If that wasn’t the time to fight for every 10th of a second, when is?
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Advantage AS Monaco
The series is tied. On paper, everything is there to play for. Then we look at history and the edge clearly lies with AS Monaco. Every Game 5 in the history of the Euroleague playoffs has been won by the home team.
Someone will eventually break that streak. It might even happen next week. It’s hard to imagine it happening to Mike James. Give that man a big elimination game at home and a point to prove, after his rough night in Istanbul, and it’s a recipe for takeover mode.
That’s not to count Fenerbahce out entirely. They’ve already taken one road game in this series. Friday however was a real opportunity. They know that. Fenerbahce contained Mike James almost completely and it just wasn’t enough.
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