By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After two straight losing efforts opposite Paris in the Betclic Elite Finals 2025, AS Monaco is facing a challenge of three wins in a row to win France’s domestic league championship for a third straight year.
Following Game 2 in Adidas Arena on Tuesday, head coach Vassilis Spanoulis opened up about the team’s performance.
“I think right now, we complain too much. We are so much frustrated and we don’t fight enough, for the Finals. You see the rebounds, it’s 47-29. They fight more everywhere. We don’t foul correctly. We don’t fight. We lose all the 50-50 balls. When we play good, we’re missing shots. So, this kills our psychology. That shouldn’t happen, because there were good shots,” he said, “We have to play better. And all the responsibility is on me.”
“We’re supposed to do what they did today, to react, but we didn’t. They played better and deserved to win. I have to figure out how we’re going to play the next game and who’s going to play, and the way we’re going to play,” he added in a postgame press conference.
The 42-year-old Greek tactician was appointed head coach of La Roca Team in November. Reaching the championship game of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four 2025 is the major highlight of his efforts as the play-caller.
“Our mentality and the basketball we play is not the same that we played all these six months that I was here and in the Final Four, that everyone admires this team. We were the surprise of the EuroLeague, to go to the Final, to play great basketball, for sure. But it’s not the time now to think about this. We have to think only of how to find a way to play a good game on Friday,” explained Spanoulis, referring to Game 3 in Salle Gaston Medecin.
Play In Tournament
Elan Chalon – JDA Dijon 106-85
SLUC Nancy – Saint-Quentin 81-88
JDA Dijon – Saint-Quentin 92-79
Betclic Elite Playoffs
Quarterfinals (best of three)
Paris – JDA Dijon 2-1 (100-87, 79-80, 114-88)
Cholet – JL Bourg 0-2 (71-95, 89-94)
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne – Elan Chalon 2-1 (100-96, 69-76, 99-75)
AS Monaco – Le Mans 2-1 (76-69, 87-88, 85-76)
Semifinals (best of five)
Paris – JL Bourg 3-0 (100-89, 117-103, 103-93)
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne – AS Monaco 1-3 (94-74, 77-94, 64-74, 86-91)