Sasa Obradovic calls Game 5 a lottery, explains Mike James' struggles in series / News - Basketnews.com

Sasa Obradovic expressed disappointment while acknowledging missed opportunities and praising the efforts of his team and star player Mike James amidst intense pressure.

Credit: Roberto Finizio/Getty Images Credit Roberto Finizio/Getty Images

AS Monaco faced a historical setback in Game 5, losing their home-court advantage and, ultimately, the series against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in an 80-79 defeat on Wednesday night.

Mike James

MIN:31.55PTS:17.89 (51.53%)REB:4.08As:5.13ST:1.18BL:0.05TO:2.03GM:38ProfileEuroLeague2023/2024

Head coach Sasa Obradovic didn't hide his disappointment during the post-game conference.

"Congrats to Fenerbahce. We could have also finished this amazing season with the award of playing in the Final Four. Game 5 is always a lottery," he noted. "No matter that you have a home-court advantage, there are people who know how to play these kind of games. Honestly, it is a bitter feeling, after all.

"We missed some small pieces: to make some better decisions on offense and defense; they also scored hard shots, including Nick Calathes, who is not the best shooter, but he scored the two most important three-pointers," Obradovic went on to say. "It's hard to find the best words to describe, but we finished the season without a stamp. We did many good things in promoting basketball here in Monaco and France, but we did not finish as we expected. But I have nothing to say to my players: they really fought until the end."

The coach then explained why Monaco star Mike James had a rough time throughout the whole series.

"Big pressure on him. It's not easy to play because all the defense is focused on him," Obradovic explained. "Some shots maybe he could make better, make better decisions, but again, that was a great season by him. He brought us here, and we were one shot away from the Final Four. If you start analyzing, you can find mistakes in other players, too. You have to give him a big respect."

Last season, Monaco finished third in the EuroLeague.

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