Story of the season: Nanterre 92
NANTERRE (FIBA Europe Cup) - It has been a remarkable international campaign with many positive moments for Nanterre 92 in the FIBA Europe Cup this season.
Pascal Donnadieau's side set the longest winning streak this season, survived a number of close escapes and, at the end of it all, reached the club's second European final in three seasons.
Above anything else, however, Nanterre have just been a treat to watch.
Leading up to the title decider at the Palais des Sports Maurice Thorez on Tuesday, we look at Nanterre's story in the FIBA Europe Cup from the its first pages until very last chapter, with the ending still undecided.
W @ Sopron 77-79
Nanterre survived a close-fought FIBA Europe Cup season-opener on the road in Hungary, breathing a collective sigh of relief when Jay Threatt's three-pointer right at the death didn't connect.
As it later turned out, the win in Sopron kicked off the longest winning streak in the competition this season, lasting with nine consecutive victories over the course of nearly three months.
"It was an excellent game, Sopron started very well, but later we found our game and rhythm. The final period was very exciting, we had a little luck, but I'm happy we could win in the arena of a very good team."Spencer Butterfield
W v FC Porto 81-73
W @ Antwerp Giants 69-78
Head coach Pascal Donnadieau did not make the trip to Belgium due to a loss in his family, but his team pulled through and earned another win in Group D.
Nanterre got the win even in tough circumstances
W v Sopron 106-75
W @ FC Porto 75-79
W v Antwerp Giants 90-79
The wins just keep on coming. Nanterre seal the first place in Group D by forcing second-placed Antwerp Giants to surrender for the second time, this time at the Palais des Sports Maurice Thorez.
A perfect 6-0 mark at the end of the Regular Season puts the French side on the radar among the primary early bird title contenders. At this point, there's only one more undefeated team – Pau-Lacq-Orthez.
"The goal tonight was the first place in the group. Even though it could have been reached without winning, we wanted to get the win."Pascal Donnadieu
W v Kormend 87-77
Having qualified to the Second Round with ease, Nanterre land in Group N alongside the likes of Kormend, Tsmoki Minsk and Bnei Herzliya, who all have their sights set on the French squad.
The first test, once again against a Hungarian team, is a success, as Pascal Donnadieau's team celebrated a double-digit victory, though Kormend proved to be a worthy opponent.
Heiko Schaffartzik posing with fans after scoring a game-high 18 points
W @ Bnei Herzliya 55-73
W v Tsmoki 94-85
After posting the best defensive performance of the season in Israel against Bnei Herzliya, Nanterre snatch up another win at home against Tsmoki.
Chris Warren collects a season-high 27 points in the win, helping make it nine wins in a row for the French side, who are undoubtedly the hottest team in the competition.
"It was a very tough game. We got the result and stayed unbeaten, but the quality of our game is not sufficient. We didn't control it."Pascal Donnadieu
L @ Kormend 91-74
The winning streak wasn't going to last forever, but nobody expected Nanterre to collapse like they did in Hungary. The 17-point loss meant that Kormend passed the French team in the group standings due to the newly-gained head-to-head advantage.
A game to forget or a lesson to learn from?
Kormend became the first team to hand Nanterre a loss
W v Bnei Herzliya 109-71
Nanterre's shortcomings in Kormend were quickly swept under the rug with a blow-out win against Bnei Herzliya. What could have possibly been a better response than that?
Kormend losing to Tsmoki in the other game in the group allowed Pascal Donnadieau's side to regain pole position in Group N before the final gameday of the Second Round.
"This good and well-rounded game gave us our confidence back."Hugo Invernizzi
L @ Tsmoki 88-82
Nanterre ended the Second Round with a defeat that pushed them back to second place in the standings, but Pascal Donnadieu's team was more or less sure about qualifying for the Play-Offs.
The big win against Bnei Herzliya in the previous game allowed the French side to pad their point differential, which made sure Nanterre were among the two second-placed teams to progress.
With the situation in the standings in their favor, Pascal Donnadieau opted against fouling intentionally at the end of the fourth quarter.
"It wasn’t so important for us to win this game, because we just needed the smallest possible difference in this game."Pascal Donnadieu
L @ Spirou 85-84
Nanterre got the short straw in the Round of 16 and got paired up with Proximus Spirou, one of the eight teams to transfer from the Basketball Champions League.
Although they couldn't get the win on the road in Belgium on the first leg, taking home just a one-point deficit was a positive result for the green-and-whites.
Nanterre kept things close in Charleroi
W v Spirou 86-78
Chi-ching!
After leading right from the start of the game, Nanterre cemented their advantage and shot ahead by double figures after intermission, keeping opponents at bay with long-range bombs.
Chris Warren, Heiko Schaffartzik and Hugo Invernizzi combined for 12 three-pointers, as the entire team shot an amazing 15-of-28 from beyond the arc.
"As competitors, we always play to win and we'll try to go as far as we can in the competition."Chris Warren
L @ Usak 85-82
Nanterre were handed a much tougher test on the road in Turkey, finding themselves down by as many as 18 points in the first half against Muratbey Usak Sportif.
However, Heiko Schaffartzik single-handedly kept the French side afloat in the first two quarters, before handing the baton to Spencer Butterfield and Mathias Lessort after the halftime break.
At the end of the day, losing by just three points was a major success.
"We made a good come back in the second half. We showed character and our efforts paid off. Everything remains possible."Heiko Schaffartzik
W v Usak 110-82
Then came the Spencer Butterfield game. The 24-year-old marksman nailed a FIBA Europe Cup record 11 three-pointers en route to a 39-point performance in the second leg of the Quarter-Finals.
Nanterre demolished Usak and deservedly earned a spot among the four strongest teams in the competition.
L v Bonn 76-77
Having relied on excellent home form to advance past Charleroi and Usak, Nanterre lost their first game at the Palais des Sports Maurice Thorez in the FIBA Europe Cup at a time they could least afford it.
Or so it seemed...
"The result is not good, but we are not doing too badly considering that they dominated us. We haven't played well lately, but we need to work hard and progress together."Pascal Donnadieu
W @ Bonn 81-86
Nanterre looked on track to lose their third straight Play-Off road game. This time, it would have eliminated them. However, Pascal Donnadieu's team did not give up and came through with a massive 16-point turnaround against Telekom Baskets in the fourth quarter.What was an 11-point deficit at the start of the final frame turned into a 5-point win and, more importantly, a ticket to the gold-medal contest against Elan Chalon.
"I am very proud of my team, who never gave up on themselves and always tried to find a way to claw their way back into the game. What we learned today will be our role model going forward — never give up!"Pascal Donnadieu
D @ Elan Chalon 58-58
Nanterre couldn't come away with any sort of lead from the first leg of the Final in spite of dictating the trends and leading by as many as 15 points in the first half of the game.
This time, it was Pascal Donnadieau's side who found themselves on the receiving end of an opponent's comeback, with Elan Chalon outscoring them 32-17 in second half.
With the score tied after the first leg, the race for the FIBA Europe Cup can still swing both ways. Could home court advantage be a deciding factor?
Will Nanterre take the final step towards the FIBA Europe Cup trophy?
To be continued...
FIBA
