Donatas Motiejunas on being fueled by Maccabi fans' hate and proving doubters wrong / News - Basketnews.com

Donatas Motiejunas revealed Mike James and the whole AS Monaco team were spit on by Maccabi fans in Tel Aviv.

Credit: Seffi Magriso/GettyImages Credit Seffi Magriso/GettyImages

When Donatas Motiejunas gifted his father tickets to the Final Four four months ago, it was an invitation to watch a good basketball event that had never before come to Lithuania.

Mike James

MIN:30.98PTS:16.25 (49.78%)REB:3.86As:4.61ST:0.97BL:0.03TO:2.25GM:36ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023

At the time, AS Monaco were balancing around the EuroLeague Top 4, but Motiejunas wasn't sure whether his father would see him play on the court from the VIP seats.

"There were still many games to play, and there was a lot of uncertainty," Motiejunas revealed. "Our season had everything. But our team comes out at our best when things get tough. I'm glad my parents will have the opportunity to support me in the Final Four now."

The Final Four mirage seemed far away when Monaco's results began to decline in the second half of the regular season.

The team's course altered when AS Monaco suspended Mike James.

They lost the first playoff series game against Maccabi Tel Aviv and gave up the home-court advantage. They went through hell in Tel Aviv.

With six minutes left to play in the decisive fifth game, Monaco's key star player was injured and limped toward the bench.

Monaco were down by three when it felt Maccabi took over the momentum to win the series.

But even in the season's most dramatic moments, Donatas Motiejunas remained calm.

Salle Gaston Medecin had never been as noisy as in Game 5 against Maccabi.

Even though Michael Jordan was nearby on vacation, he finally didn't come to watch the decisive game (although it was theoretically possible, per sources). But after Roca Team's triumph in the EuroLeague playoffs, the entire Principality of Monaco was celebrating.

After the victorious celebration and a joyful photo with Monaco's Prince Albert II, BasketNews spoke with Motiejunas about Monaco's journey, the elite leader Mike James, Maccabi fans' hatred, important words for his teammates, and doubters of his game.

2-pointers this season

54%22,6Points made:22,6Accuracy:54,3%Place in standings:1Record max:34Record min:13Most made 2FGs:Mike JamesTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Motiejunas averaged 8.4 points (60% 2FG, 50% 3FG), 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists against Maccabi, with a 12.2 index rating, which was third-best on AS Monaco team, and the best +/-.

So, how does it feel now?We spoke before the series, saying it would be an interesting and tough one. But to be honest, I was very calm from the first game.

I realized that a large part of our team had never been in the playoffs. So the tension naturally showed at the start of the series. We missed everything in the first game. It was hard to expect to win with that kind of performance.

But our reaction after the first game, especially in the third game in Tel Aviv, how the Maccabi fans treated us... Mike James and the whole team were spit on. They constantly threw things at us during the breaks... That brought us together as a team.

Of course, we might have relaxed in the fourth game, thinking we had done the job and would take care of everything when we got home.

But I told the whole team I was not satisfied because we let the game slip and gave the opponents confidence. Their confidence showed on Wednesday as Maccabi hit everything. I don't know their 3-point percentage, but it was really high.

Those feelings are unreal now, but I was convinced we would make it to the Final Four.

This year, we have everything. Our game sometimes seems chaotic, but we have everything to do something beautiful. We have already done it, but I feel there is potential to do even more.

How calm were you when Mike James got injured, asked for a substitution, and you fell behind by three points with five minutes left to play?I was calm at that moment, although thoughts were spinning in my head about mistakes, missed shots... We got into the bonus early.

My brain said one thing, but I still felt calm inside. I don't know why, but I thought we would still win.

How do you explain the fact that one of the least experienced Euroleague playoff teams managed to withstand Maccabi in such a critical situation when it seemed the opponents had already broken the game?Straightforward: another game where we scored 96 points. And with a hurt Mike James.

This shows that anyone can step up at any time. Jordan Loyd had an incredible run. Mike James had an incredible start.

Bringing his leadership qualities to the team from the start was crucial. Because when he stepped on the court, he took the initiative and basically hit everything.

Players were nervous - many had never played in Euroleague playoffs before. And now we're talking about the Final Four.

It's a huge step for this organization and this country. You saw it yourself, the prince was very pleased.

Over the past three years, starting from Zvezdan Mitrovic, who did an incredible job winning the EuroCup to reach the EuroLeague Final Four... It's hard to say how many times I've told our young players that it's one of the hardest things you can do.

Some players only make it there once in their careers... Manu Markoishvili (assistant coach) will only be there for the third time.

Even Mike James will only be in his second Final Four.That's exactly what I'm talking about.

We have some unreal people on the team who fight and try their best. Sometimes everything happens. There were even some moments of conflict. But when we step onto the court, we leave everything behind the sidelines. That shows the highest level of professionalism.

But to be honest, sometimes it seemed like Monaco only started fighting back when they were backed up against the wall.Like mice, yes, chewing through metal? (Laughs.)

That maximum concentration comes in. We had more than one timeout when they had a run. When there were five minutes left, and Maccabi started pulling ahead, I told the team they had the initiative now. But if we could defend a few times, Maccabi would be a completely different team.

Maccabi play a very similar basketball to ours, based on individual play. If they can't score one-on-one, the game changes completely.

In the first half, their combinations worked very well. During halftime, we changed our defense against their pick-and-rolls and didn't let Brown and Baldwin get easy points anymore. And in positional basketball, I think we have a clear advantage.

It was a team victory, but it seems that Mike James was the key player in this victory.

He was the most consistent Monaco player in this series, not only with his points and stats but also with his calmness and leadership, which he conveyed to the rest of the team in crucial moments.There have been many things in our season. It's not over yet, and we want to win more than one title. We want to show that we belong in the Final Four, and I believe we will.

It seems Mike changed his attitude, work ethic, and dedication in the past couple of months after his suspension. His game reflected a leader the team and the coach wanted to see.

He pulled us through in crucial moments on offense. There were games where opponents heavily emphasized defense against him, but he kicked the ball out really well. When everyone was tired, he carried us. After his suspension, he's playing perhaps the most mature basketball.

As I mentioned, this was a team victory. Chima Moneke didn't score in the first four games of the series, but he turned around the game with a 10-point performance in Game 5.

I know you always tried to talk to your teammates personally and give them confidence and advice. But which of these X-factors surprised you the most?It's a team effort. Anyone can step up at any moment.

Maybe this series was tough for Donta Hall, but he looked much better in Game 5 than me. The way he fought, played, and defended... Maybe the early turnovers threw him off, but he was very productive when he came back.

We have such a versatile team that any player can step up on any given day and play.

Chima didn't play for a long time and didn't practice with the team because he had some injuries. He almost didn't practice with the team for a month.

It's natural that after such a break, when someone joins the team in the middle of the season, throwing them straight into important games they haven't been in before is tough.

But he got thrown in there and delivered beautifully. He gave so much energy and fight... To me, he seems like one of the main heroes of this victory.

I try to keep in touch with everyone. That connection is very important to me.

In my career's early stages, I had good examples, like Rimantas Kaukenas and the Lavrinovic brothers, who showed me how older players should behave with younger ones. How to involve them and make them support the team.

When you're not playing, all you can do is sit on the bench. And during the first few games of the series, our bench was very quiet, especially during the first half of game five. So, I took the young guys aside and told them we needed more energy from the bench because everyone seemed lost and scared. I encouraged them.

Those things are important because if you do something good on the court, you look not at the fans but at your bench and teammates and wait for their reaction. They really understand that and learn.

Both Strazel and Makoundou have a lot of talent and good chances to play in the EuroLeague. They need a natural process, extra work, and time. When you're young and passionate, it's hard to understand certain things.

What does it mean for you to play in the Final Four in your hometown?I've played in the NBA Western Conference Finals before, where we lost 2-4 to the Golden State Warriors. Every year I played, I fought in the playoffs. But that extra step to the Final Four means a lot to me.

By the way, I bought Final Four tickets for my father's birthday.

I bought four tickets in total. I said, "Dad, here's a gift for your birthday, plus one more person, whoever you choose."

My mother looked at me and said, "he knows who you'll choose."

Did you buy the tickets with the intention of having them see you play in the Final Four?I bought them with the intention of watching the event. In Lithuania, this is the first Final Four ever. It was unclear whether we would make it.

Monaco probably didn't look like a Final Four-caliber team at the time?As I said, we went through a lot in our season. We are a team that, like last year, delivered during a difficult period. But it's really great that my parents will have the opportunity to support me.

I also have plans to organize a campaign to encourage Lithuanians to support us.

Do you think you'll be competing with FC Barcelona for Lithuanian support?Why compete when you can support both? (smiles). If we both make it to the finals, then we'll compete (laughs).

When you returned to Europe from the NBA and China, many doubted your abilities in Lithuania.

Mike James and I talked about how only winning the EuroLeague could prove his status to doubters. You had a bit different challenge. But did you feel motivated to prove doubters wrong when you returned to EuroLeague?Not at all.

I was just surprised at how people didn't respect the level of the Chinese league and how many underrated it.

After all those years away, coming back to Europe felt like, "What am I doing here? I played in China, and now I'm like nobody."

I was a significant part of the Houston Rockets team when we made it to the Western Conference Finals. And I gave a lot of myself in China. So it was weird that when I returned to Europe, people started to think I couldn't play basketball anymore.

It's good that I've been able to play consistently for the second year in a row. The team has achieved a lot too. And there's trust from the coaching staff. Especially towards the end of this season, it seems like they started to see all my strengths and how to exploit them.

It seems like there's a realization that I can really play, and I play very differently.

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