Fenerbahce vs Paris

Fenerbahce emerged victorious in both regular-season matchups against Paris, though neither contest came easily—their largest winning margin was just four points. In their most recent clash less than a month ago, the Turkish side edged out a thrilling 101-100 win.

With that in mind, Fenerbahce are well aware they’re in for a fierce battle. Under head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, they wrapped up the regular season with the league’s second-best record, posting 23 wins in 34 games, including a strong 12-5 showing at home.

Paris, on the other hand, earned their playoff spot through the play-in tournament. Tiago Splitter’s side pulled off a major upset by defeating Real Madrid 81-73 on the road in the clash between the seventh and eighth seeds. The French club, making its EuroLeague debut, finished eighth overall with 19 wins in the regular season.

Play-in MVP T.J. Shorts was instrumental in the victory over Madrid, tallying 23 points and nine assists. He’ll be a key figure in this series, along with Fenerbahce’s Nigel Hayes-Davis—both were recently selected to the All-EuroLeague First Team and are expected to play pivotal roles in the upcoming showdown.

Despite lacking home-court advantage, Paris Basketball pulled off a stunning Play-In victory over powerhouse Real Madrid, proving their resilience and competitive edge. Leading the charge is T.J. Shorts, the team’s driving force, whose stellar performances earned him a well-deserved spot on the EuroLeague First Team. On the opposing side, Fenerbahce’s Nigel Hayes-Davis shares that honor, setting the stage for an electrifying individual battle.

This season could mark a "Last Dance" moment for Paris Basketball—mirroring Michael Jordan’s final run with the Bulls—as the current roster may not stay intact much longer. Several key players are expected to move on, with T.J. Shorts emerging as one of Europe’s most coveted talents. 

The season has revealed an outstanding accomplishment for Fenerbahce. From the beginning of the campaign commentators failed to predict top-two status for Fenerbahce while the team stayed competitive for first place during the entire season run. Head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius received the EuroLeague Coach of the Year honors while his team established themselves as a top-tier club with a regular season record of 23–11. Olympiacos as the first-place squad has failed to overcome Fenerbahce when they played during this season twice.

Fenerbahce received steady defensive support when Errick McCollum joined the team while Wade Baldwin returned from injury since his recovery progressed successfully. The acclaimed offensive skills of this team are recognized by most fans while their defensive abilities attract less attention. During this series Fenerbahce must focus on containing T.J. Shorts to achieve their objectives. With any success at slowing T.J. Shorts down Fenerbahce will have achieved more than half of their mission.

The EuroLeague debut of Paris Basketball during this season has brought great satisfaction to the team and their achievements. What remains question-worthy is the reason for halting their current momentum. Fenerbahce has achieved success yet they should attempt to produce another thrilling moment. During the season Paris Basketball achieved a 10-game EuroLeague winning run. Paris Basketball finished the common season with 19 victories against 15 defeats despite their flawless record in away matches against all teams in the top eight except Fenerbahce.