Jean Montero Makes EuroLeague History as Valencia Forces Game 5 vs Pao

Valencia Basket escapes OAKA with an 89-86 win to force a decisive Game 5 in the EuroLeague Playoffs. In this breakdown I want to take a moment to admire both of these teams because both deserve a spot in the Final Four. Jean Montero was electric. 29 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds, and a PIR of 45 which is the highest in EuroLeague Playoffs history since the format was adopted in 2004-05. You could argue PAO didn’t defend him well and you’d be right, but everything he threw up was going in. Cedi Osman was the story for Panathinaikos. His 3 ball wasn’t falling so he did what every good player does and started driving. He led PAO with 26 points. The frustrating part for Greens fans is that if he had played this way sooner in the series, we might be talking about a sweep right now. The 3 guys that had been carrying PAO all series, Shorts, Rogkavopoulos and Hayes-Davis, were invisible. Hayes-Davis shot 4 for 14 and missed the half-court attempt that would have sent it to overtime. There were 38 offensive rebounds in this game. That sounds pathetic on paper but it had everything to do with how aggressive both teams played on the glass. I felt like I was watching a championship game. These might be the 2 best teams in the EuroLeague right now. Game 5 is in Valencia next week with a Final Four spot on the line. Should PAO hit the panic button? Let me know in the comments. #BasketballSavant #EuroLeague #Valencia #Panathinaikos #JeanMontero #CediOsman #PAO #ValenciaBasket #EuroLeaguePlayoffs #Basketball #BasketballAnalysis #Hoops #BasketballBreakdown #FinalFour #PlayoffBasketball #OAKA #PedroMartinez #ErginAtaman #NigelHayesDavis #KendrickNunn #TJShorts