Elie Okobo predicts NBA Playoffs, shares the secret to his fast growth / News - Basketnews.com

Elie Okobo thinks that the Lakers will take the series against the Nuggets in 6 games despite losing the first two. The secret to his quick rise in Europe was the ability to make mistakes on the court while playing a ton of minutes in ASVEL, he says.

Credit: Erikas Ovčarenko/BNS Credit Erikas Ovčarenko/BNS

AS Monaco had a chance to advance to the EuroLeague final on Friday but a historic third quarter from Olympiacos Piraeus denied them the opportunity. Two days later, they will have to play for third place against FC Barcelona.

2-pointers this season

54%22,5Points made:22,5Accuracy:54,2%Place in standings:1Record max:34Record min:13Most made 2FGs:Mike JamesTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Elie Okobo was one of the brightest players on the court for the losing team. He was the tied-highest scorer on the team, finishing the game with 17 points and team-high 5 assists for 14 PIR.

"I think we're frustrated still but we need to move on. We have a game tomorrow and then we have the French playoffs," Okobo said after team practice on Saturday. "We want to play with the same energy we had in the first half. It's frustrating but we have to end it on the right note and keep building for the French playoffs that are coming for us."

"We should've done better by being more aggressive. The way they were overhelping sometimes, we had to find our shooters better and our bigs. We found some open shots in the first half but then we completely lost our game and didn't do what we were supposed to do," he told.

Playing for third place is always difficult. Both teams come in after losing the hope to win the EuroLeague title, third-place games usually attract a smaller crowd of spectators than the semifinals or the final.

Should the EuroLeague abandon third-place games? Okobo wasn't sure.

"I don't really know. It's my first time in the Final Four. I don't know if you get a medal for third place or not. There have to be four games in the Final Four. It is what it is," he said.

Monaco came into the Final Four after beating Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in a fiery quarterfinal series. Last year, the team lost out on a chance to play in the Final Four after getting defeated by Olympiacos Piraeus in a memorable Game 5 with Kevin Durant in attendance.

AS Monaco / Schedule

Olympiacos Piraeus AS Monaco76-62 AS Monaco FC BarcelonaSun14:00

With so many stories coming out from this year's quarterfinals, there have been talks that the EuroLeague should move on from the Final Four format and continue with the series format until the very end. Okobo wasn't against it.

"Of course," he said when asked whether he's thought about it. "The Final Four brings everybody and the entire European basketball together, it's a big event but the series and playoffs all the way to the finals, having games at home and on the road with crowds and stuff, it would also be pretty fun, for sure."

Okobo came back to Europe two years ago after a stint in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns. Even though he was first seen as more of an unknown, he proved his worth playing for LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne last year and confirmed his value on the court this year with Monaco.

What's the secret behind such a quick development after coming back from the other side of the Atlantic? It's all about getting a chance to make mistakes while being on the court.

"I feel like it's all about experience, learning to read the game, learning to set a certain pace, learning when to play for your teammates and when to play for yourself, to know when it's the right time to do this and that," Okobo said.

"In the games that I played, I've learned through my mistakes and everything. I had a chance to have a bigger room for error because I was the leader of my team with ASVEL last year. I didn't go back on the bench after one turnover, I still got to play, I was just learning and growing," he explained.

As a former Sun, Okobo has been following the NBA playoffs and has a bold prediction for the upcoming games.

"I was watching the games. I was watching the games versus the Clippers and Denver, and it's unfortunate that they lost," he said about the Suns. "They have a great team and they're showing it versus the Lakers right now."

"I don't know, I like LeBron a lot," he said with a smile on his face about the Nuggets' chances in the playoffs. "I'm sure he's gonna step up and the team will change what they have to change. I say 4-2 for the Lakers."

Looking forward to the games that will follow after the Final Four, Okobo is sure that it will be a good experience. After coming up short last year with ASVEL, he's hoping that everything's going to be different this season.

"It's good, it's gonna be fun. Obviously, Lyon and Monaco went all the way to Game 5 in the final last year. This year, I hope it's gonna go the other way and we're gonna win," he said. "We're gonna try our best. We have the team, the players, the coach, and the group to do it."

Former Monaco player Danilo Andjusic has recently highlighted that one of the things he learned playing together with Mike James was his ability to move on from bad performances. It's what the entire squad has to do now, Okobo says.

"You sometimes play three games a week, you lose the first one and then you win the next two. Moving on is part of our job," the guard agreed. "We're professionals, we can't just keep our heads down when we lose a game, we're just moving on."

Should Monaco continue with the same recipe that they had this year? Okobo was certain that a complete overhaul shouldn't be coming.

"We were up 12 at halftime, we were right there to make it to the final," he said. "We had a super bad third quarter. We should just keep building on what we've been doing. We have great players, we'll learn from this stuff, and we'll try to not reproduce these mistakes."

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