Ettore Messina unexpectedly praised TJ Shorts for his outstanding performance in their recent EuroLeague matchup, admitting that while he was torturing Milan, the coach found it fun to watch from the sidelines.
Paris Basketball returned to winning ways in the EuroLeague on Tuesday night, defeating EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 92-79 in Round 30. TJ Shorts led the charge with a stellar performance, finishing with 24 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, two steals, and 37 PIR.
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
37
|
| TJ Shorts II | |
| Points | 24 |
| Accuracy | 9-17 |
| Rebounds | 6 |
| Assists | 10 |
Typically, after such dominant individual displays, opposing coaches criticize their team's defensive lapses or take responsibility for a flawed game plan. However, Milan coach Ettore Messina took a different approach and openly admired Shorts' show.
"Obviously, TJ Shorts dominated the game. He was outstanding. You won't believe me, but he was even fun to watch from the sidelines even though he was torturing us," Messina admitted in the post-game conference.
Shorts has turned Paris into a legitimate playoff contender in their first EuroLeague season, and Messina gave him full credit.
"We are all impressed by his personality. His leadership. His decisions are very good most of the time," Messina went on to say. "It's also very difficult to attack him because he's small, extremely quick, and really strong both in his upper body and lower body. It's not like you say, 'He's a very good offensive player, but we attack him on the other side.' It's difficult to attack him.
"They are very well organized if someone wants to post him because they can do traps," the Italian coach added. "It's really impressive. He's played for different coaches in his European career, and every year, he's facing a different level, and he's adjusting easily. I have a lot of respect for him."
With the win, Paris improved to 17-13 in the EuroLeague, climbing to sixth place in the standings. Meanwhile, Messina acknowledged that Milan is struggling with several internal challenges.
"We have many ongoing little things with some of our players that are not doing well," Messina said, adding that Nikola Mirotic "was suffering" throughout the Paris game.
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