By Antonis Stroggylakis / [email protected]
ABU DHABI – In a quest for his first Turkish Airlines EuroLeague championship, Mike James dropped 17 points on Olympiacos, helping AS Monaco progress to the championship game of the Final Four 2025.
“I think we played a really focused game. We were locked in from start to finish,” he underlined during a media session following the Semifinal in Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena on Friday, “It’s good to win.”
“We forced them to play a lot of one-on-one. I think we stuck to their shooters. When they played pick and roll, they had to beat two-on-two. And I don’t think that’s really their strength. I think they have some people who can do that, but that’s not really what they want to do. They want to move and make people move, and pass and cut and do all that,” he shared the key to a huge win, “I think we’re really good in stopping that.”
Pushing La Roca Team near the first EuroLeague championship in team history, Alpha Diallo netted a team-high 22 points with 10/15 from the field.
“A lot of rest. A lot of video. And just stay together, locked in. Make sure everyone is on the same page, just like tonight. Just execute our game plan,” the 27-year-old forward previewed the next challenge, facing Fenerbahce Beko in the Final on Sunday.
“It’s going to be tough. They are a really good team, a well-coached team, and we’re going to have to play good to win,” added 34-year-old James.