The hypothesis of a title in France for Victor Wembanyama before taking off for the United States is becoming clearer. The Mets won (86-83) against Asvel, in Bercy, where the meeting had been relocated. It all came down to a basket from Barry Brown, three seconds from the end of the game. Wemby only scored 13 points, but the Hauts-de-Seine club led 2-0 in their semi-final against the three-time defending champion.
The Villeurbannais, still deprived of Nando De Colo on Sunday, no longer have the right to make mistakes in this series in three winning matches before receiving the Metropolitans 92 from Victor Wembanyama on Friday at the Astroballe.
After being 16 lengths behind at the end of the third quarter (64-48, 28th), they thought they could snatch extra time when Dee Bost equalized, for the first time in the game, on a winning shot at 12 seconds. 3/10th of the buzzer (83-83).
But after a timeout taken by Vincent Collet, Mets coach Barry Brown, an American fullback who arrived as a medical joker in mid-May, responded to Bost to give victory to the Ile-de-France residents and make the 15,000 or so spectators at Bercy jump.
Too late reaction from Asvel
Asvel, in the chaotic season marked by a last place in the Euroleague and a withdrawal of a championship victory for administrative shortcomings, only really put the necessary intensity in the last quarter. In the wake of Yves Pons (9 points in this period), who in two energetic dunks and a winning shot brought him closer to two lengths five minutes from the siren (74-72).
In the last minute, full of suspense, Brown, already him, gave the Mets a four-point lead with 40 seconds remaining (81-77), before a first response from Bost (81-80). Brown was then solid on the free throw line (83-80), before responding to Bost.