By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
Monaco made it back to the EuroLeague Final Four after defeating Barcelona in a decisive Game 5 at home, preventing the Catalan team from completing a historic comeback.
Vassilis Spanoulis’ team prevailed, with Georgios Papagiannis playing a pivotal role and earning MVP honors for the game, with the highest PIR on the winning side.
Interestingly, Papagiannis made his first Playoff appearance of the season in Game 5 and was a crucial part of Monaco’s success. Spanoulis explained why he decided to bring the Greek center back to the team and give him a big role in this do-or-die match.
“Georgios had a very good practice yesterday, and it was my instinct and decision to bring him back. I thought he could give us something, especially with what I saw in practice with pick-and-rolls—I thought we could bring something new. Georgios gave us more than something; it was a huge performance,” Spanoulis said at the postgame press conference.
He also praised the whole team.
“The whole team gave a lot. Stats don’t always tell the truth—I look at team stats. Individual stats often don’t say much. It was a really tough game, and I’m really proud of my players. They performed with big hearts and clear minds in crucial moments.”
Spanoulis will now face his former team, Olympiacos, at Final Four semifinals in Abu Dhabi.
“Everybody knows how much Olympiacos means to me. For me, that place is my second home. I spent half of my career there and have incredible love from the fans across all generations. But now I’m proud to be here in Monaco, and I will give everything for 40 minutes to win,” Spanoulis concluded, after making it to his first EuroLeague Final Four as a head coach—in his first attempt.
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