Fabrice Lefrançois, coach of Cholet Basket, reflected on the team’s loss, stating, “After halftime, we lost the thread of what we intended to do, especially in controlling the game. We stopped playing as planned and were somewhat overwhelmed by their defensive pressure. This highlighted the necessity of being disciplined to defeat this strong team. We had a good first half, executing our plan on both ends of the court. It’s regrettable that we conceded 10 points on offensive rebounds in the first half, which could have given us a greater lead. We managed to extend our lead to 10 points at the start of the third quarter, but at one point, we lost our disciplinary focus and paid the price. They possess squad depth, which we lack. They are an Euroleague team with a deep bench and the ability to make strategic choices. That’s how it is.”
Julius Thomas, coach of Paris Basketball, commented, “We found lineups that played better as a team. We put in a lot of energy, found good shots in the second half, and adjusted our defensive approach. The first half wasn’t good. At halftime, I told them, ‘You can accept being brutalized like this, or you can do something about it.’ Our squad depth is very important, not just for me but for the entire team. It works when everyone is fully focused and engaged. It’s a significant competitive advantage. We anticipate facing much tougher challenges. We need to be better than we were today to beat them twice, not just once. We are playing against a very, very good team.”
Parisian shooting guard Yakuba Ouattara, who scored 8 points, added, “We showed more fight, especially in the second half, where we were effective at breaking their rhythm and preventing them from scoring easy baskets, as we saw in the first half and the first game. We clearly saw in the first half that Cholet seemed to want it more. That’s not acceptable. We want to fight for the title and need to show a different face if we want to win these games. Cholet is a good team; they won’t give up easily. If we approach it casually, it won’t work. We were warned once, and again in the first half today. Now, we must learn and be the aggressors. We expect a tough battle. Even when we played them away during the season, we really struggled to win that game. We are warned. It will come down to grit, to the team that wants it more, regardless of raw talent.”
Statements collected at the Adidas Arena, Paris.
