By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Beating SIG Strasbourg 2-0 in the LNB Quarter-Finals, AS Monaco advanced to the Semifinals to face JL Bourg-en-Bresse. During these two games, Sasa Obradovic‘s team attempted 70 free throws, converting 52 of them; on the other end, the losing team only went 22/28, causing the fury of the club.
In the press conference following the 85-83 loss at home against the Monegasque side, Luca Banchi erupted. “Given how the referees approached the match, their mission was quite clear. Even when the whistles were so bad, the players remained calm, stable, and solid and I’m very proud of that. If they believe they can take me down and make me shut my mouth, I’m 57 and I’ve been in basketball for so long… I’ve coached in five different countries, I see what’s right or wrong, I can recognize what is correct or not, they won’t shut me up, I’m sorry”, he first said.
“The behavior of the referees tonight felt like some sort of punishment, but I feel good. We were facing a EuroLeague team, super intense, super athletic, and superphysical, and they shot 42 free throws more than us. It’s funny, unreal, and maybe disgusting”, the Italian coach added while laughing. These were the last words pronounced in a post-game press conference for Luca Banchi in Strasbourg since he left the French team after being eliminated from the LNB Playoffs.
The head coach of the Latvian national team was followed by SIG Strasbourg’s president Martial Bellon, who took the microphone to speak about the matter. “In two games, 70 free throws for Monaco, 28 for Strasbourg. A difference of 40 free throws in two games, it’s just colossal. We have the feeling that there are two protected clubs in Betclic ÉLITE: ASVEL and Monaco. As we have the ability to make the comparison between the Betclic ÉLITE and the BCL, we looked at: we are by far the most badly treated team in free throws in Betclic ÉLITE, which is absolutely not the case in BCL. We saw a real difference in refereeing between the two competitions. I’m not saying we lost because of the referees, but 70 free throws to 30, somewhere, there’s a problem”, he commented.
PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League