Basketball: "It's a question of mentality and attitude, we complain too much," complains Monaco coach Spanoulis, after the slap in Paris

Petr Cornelie (Monaco power forward, after the debacle in Paris on Tuesday evening ) : " We played well, especially in the second half. The past has shown that it's always possible to turn things around. We'll have to do the work at home. We expected two difficult matches, and they were. We have to bounce back at home. They caught fire, it created a big gap and we let the game go a little. We knew it would be tough against a team that sets a high pace. We weren't good on the rebounds and they caught fire from three points. Afterwards, it's hard to hope for anything in their arena... Long season? It's tough, but Paris is also having a long season. We haven't won anything this season. We don't want to finish without a title, that would be a shame."

Game 3 on Friday? We'll have to put in more energy, stop their fast game, their pace. When we beat them, that's what we did. We didn't do a bad job defensively in the first half, but we struggled offensively, and that took away our rhythm. The bench? We can't find our rhythm. That's what we'll have to do very quickly. It's a playoff series, the first one is three games, we have to react right away; it will be important to show a different face in front of our fans. TJ Shorts? We had a plan, but we started the game well. We were on target, but we didn't maintain the intensity, and we were overwhelmed by Paris' pace. Above all, offensively, we have to find more of our game. We have to stop them, put them on half-court, and get going on offense. (…) The key players have spoken, it's important; if we have to react, it's in the next game.

Also read : Basketball: "The feeling of being unstoppable? At times, yes," exults TJ Shorts, assuring that "it's not over."

Vassilis Spanoulis (AS Monaco coach) : “ Congratulations to Paris. I would have liked us to do what they did, to react, but we didn’t. They played better and deserved to win. I still have to decide how we’re going to play the next match (Friday, Match 3, Editor’s note), and who’s going to play. What needs to change? The mentality, the attitude. We complain too much. There’s frustration. We didn’t fight hard enough for a final. They fought harder than us in every area. And when we play well, we don’t make shots. We have to understand that we can play better. All the responsibility is mine. (…) Everyone has to look in the mirror. Did the leaders talk in the locker room? Yes.” (…) We led 2-0 against Barça and we narrowly made it through to the Euroleague playoffs… I will find a way for us to fight, with players who are ready to fight. If we play like this in the first two games, we need changes… It’s obvious.

Extra-sporting concerns? It definitely affects the team. We can't think about it right now. As a coach, I have to think about the game. But obviously, our mentality isn't the same; we're not playing the same basketball we've been playing for the past six months or in the (Euroleague) Final Four, a game that made everyone admire this team. In any case, this isn't the time to think about all that. We just have to think about finding a way to play a good game on Friday. Alpha Diallo on TJ Shorts? He's one of the best defenders in Europe on the ball. But they made a lot of picks. Alpha did what he could. Changes to make? When you're down by 10 points, you look for excuses. Maybe because of the pressure of the final or because someone's playing badly, I don't know, but we have to be better mentally. A game is long. If you make a mistake, miss a shot, it's nothing, we can be productive in many ways, not just scoring. (...) We have to stay focused on our team, not sure Paris. We have to think only about becoming a normal team again, we didn't look like a normal team, we were way below our standards, way below. The 50/50 balls, the rebounds, the fight... How do we stop their runs? We have to fight more, make more mistakes, sacrifice ourselves... These are the finals. You can be very important for your team even without scoring, just by giving the team what it needs in this kind of game.

Comments collected at a press conference