“Obviously [que Monaco] will use it as motivation “

How far away that drunken night in Kazan seems. It’s been two weeks since AS Monaco won the moon but “it looks like it’s been longer,” admits Rob Gray. After a well-deserved little break of a few days, the Roca Team had to get back into the routine of the French championship. And in this case, the little train is above all a TGV. After its stroll against Gravelines-Dunkirk (122-69) and its small hitch in Dijon (83-86), Zvezdan Mitrovic’s team must still play 14 games before mid-June. An unbearable schedule, which does not allow the Principality’s club to savor its continental triumph. “It still seems quite surreal but we had to operate a mental switch,” adds the MVP of the final. So of course, after having experienced such intense matches against Podgorica, Gran Canaria or Kazan, weariness can easily set in as soon as you return to reality. In the end, AS Monaco’s best chance may lie in the pedigree of its current opponents: the big players in the championship, against whom relaxation is not allowed too much. And precisely, after an avoidable setback in Côte d’Or, perhaps due to this psychological fatigue, Rob Gray and the Roca Team want to rectify the situation this Saturday at the Astroballe.

“We could have won in Dijon. We have badly negotiated some key possessions, no whistles have been given either. Maybe we could have had a little more focus, maybe there is a bit of mental fatigue after EuroCup, maybe … But even with that, we could have won since we do not end until -3. Dijon played well but this defeat is more our fault than anything else. Now we have to turn the page and bounce back against ASVEL. We will have to play with intensity, that we perform defensively, that we are present on the rebounds and above all, that we are ready for combat because the ASVEL will be. They are struggling in the standings, they have lost more games than they should have so they will come to fight. Crossing swords with a future EuroLeague opponent is a good opportunity, we want to beat them. “

Beaten Tuesday by JDA Dijon, the Monegasque leader wants to raise his head this Saturday at the Astroballe
(photo : FOXAEP)

If Rob Gray will greet with pleasure his former coach Frédéric Fauthoux – “it’s my guy! “-, became assistant to TJ Parker in Lyon-Villeurbanne, who had given him the keys to the attack last year in Levallois, some reunions of this shock at the top between ASVEL and Monaco could be less warm. All eyes will be on the sidelines, where Zvezdan Mitrovic will take part. Author of a Cup – Championship double in 2019 then some resounding results in EuroLeague last season, the Montenegrin coach marked the spirits in the city of Gones, before being however exfiltrated during the first confinement by President Parker .

“He is a high-performance coach, with his method. But we must not forget all the rest, and especially not the very concrete reasons why we were forced to separate, ”TP explained to L’Équipe last November. “Victory, yes, but not victory at any cost, and especially not at the cost of respect, morality and the exemplary nature that high-level sport must convey at a minimum. “Since then, the two parties are engaged in a legal conflict, initiated by Zvezdan Mitrovic, who claims 1.09 million euros in compensation from his former club, and who recently confided that” revenge would be in court. ” But before the industrial tribunal, it’s time for the pitch and the EuroCup coach of the year would not miss out on a victory against his former employer. He did not hesitate to talk to his players about it.

“Of course I know the history between coach Mitrovic and ASVEL,” exclaims Rob Gray. “It’s another facet of Saturday’s meeting. We know that he was at Villeurbanne last year, that there is a liability between the club and him. He wants to beat them and they want to do the same against him. It’s fair game! Everyone is competitive, you have to know how to appreciate that. But obviously we will use it as motivation. We know what happened, we understand what it means but above all we want to win. Victory is the primary motivation but it’s always better when there are issues outside the field, it brings the team together and it keeps the group motivated and focused on this goal. Coach Mitrovic said a few words about it during his presentation of the meeting. He did not really dig into the question but he repeated that ASVEL was going to want to beat him. But yes, he did mention it, of course. “

Coach Z’s analysis before the shock of this Saturday (2 p.m.) @LDLCASVEL, with images inside of the video session of the day pic.twitter.com/VuDwBGN1bz

— AS Monaco Basket (@ASMonaco_Basket) May 14, 2021

Rob Gray doesn’t want a Final 8

By winning tomorrow at the Astroballe, AS Monaco would undoubtedly repel Villeurbanne for good. With a record of 17 victories in 20 games, the Roca Team is leading the championship, while ASVEL has already lost 6 times after 22 games. If the season manages to come to an end, without the ranking coming into play, and it is impossible to organize a Final 8 at the end of June, the first place of the regular season would then be synonymous. of a title of champion. And everyone is well aware of it on the Rock …

“Even if we won the EuroCup, we have to finish the job. We need to keep everyone fully focused on our next goal: winning the French championship. We have to defend our first place. If we want the title, in the event that there is no Final 8, all matches are expensive. We must not fall asleep and avoid chaining avoidable defeats. We have to make a success of blows outside: we did not know how to do it in Dijon, we will have to do it here. Doing a 1/2 on the road between Dijon and Villeurbanne, that wouldn’t be so bad. “

Soon an unforgettable double for Rob Gray’s AS Monaco?
(photo: Sébastien Grasset)

In fact, one month from the end of the season, no one yet knows how the French champion’s trophy will be awarded. For a long time, the league hopes to be able to organize a Final 8 on neutral ground, with the public, after June 15, but voices are starting to rise against this project. “The first should be rewarded, even if it will always be a title a little disputed”, said Axel Julien to Bien Public last week. “I think there are players who want to go home, the Americans for the most part couldn’t come home for Christmas and honestly it’s a long time, because we never cut. […] We are not going to lie to each other, playing the title on the 25th with players starting at TQO, others injured with the succession of matches, it would not be a high quality final phase. “

In addition to the leader of JDA Dijon, Rob Gray has been the spokesperson for these players who do not want to stay an extra week in France after nine months away from home. Wary of the stop-and-go strategy put in place in the fall by the LNB, the Monegasque rear is campaigning to avoid this famous Final 8.

“It’s uncomfortable not yet knowing what the modalities will be to be able to be crowned champions. But I think this season has not been well managed. All over the world, the championships were able to go normally, except us with all these stops, for some reason. Now they’re trying to cram all the remaining matches into just one month. We have to play 14 matches in 30 days! As if they don’t think about the potential injuries and the health of the players … I hope they make the right decision and know how to end the season at the right time, without adding even more games to this schedule. already insane. I don’t want to play Final 8, there won’t be time for it. “

It’s time for the final sprint, and we still don’t know where the finish line is …

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