u/Meladroit10

Kylian Mbappé after the game against Paraguay : "We knew what kind of match it would be. It's great the game we got and how we played it. We show that we're not just only a team who can play an offensive-minded football, if we had to play dirty, we can play dirty. It doesn't bother us. They thought we would show up in tuxedos, doing great plays and one-two passes. We know how to shithouse too. We did it today, we won and even in that sector, we were better than them.

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So, the final of the Bo5 final of the French championship is playing right now between Paris and Monaco in Paris. It's already a tense game between 2 rivals but there is even more drama to it.

Monaco point guard Matthew Strazel has been suspended by the league after his comment on a referee after game 3 calling him a cheater. Monaco players didn't take well the suspension of one of their best players and even threatened to not play the final game. Link to a Basketnews article for more info on that.

So, Monaco have to play a must-win game without their best point guard because Mike James is also not playing because of money disputes with Monaco. He did not play a single game of the French playoffs and his last game was on May 5th in the Euroleague.

But, to everyone surprise, Mike James decided to suit up for the final game of the season, taking a flight to Paris this afternoon and even playing with Matthew Strazel number #32 despise usually wearing the #55. Link to a L'Equipe article for more info (in French)

Here's the translation from the L'Equipe article:

> Mike James Returns to Monaco for the Final Game of the Betclic Élite Finals in Paris > > > American point guard Mike James, who has not played a single playoff game, is on Monaco’s roster for the final game of the season, Game 5 of the Betclic Élite Finals on the road against Paris Basketball. > > > He hadn’t played since May 5, against Olympiacos in the EuroLeague quarterfinals. Mike James, who had distanced himself from the Monaco team since then—on strike over unpaid wages totaling around one million euros—will nevertheless make one final appearance in the Roca Team jersey. His name is on the roster for the decisive Game 5 between Paris and Monaco (9:10 p.m.), which will crown the French champion this Tuesday evening. > > Why the return? And why is he wearing a number that isn’t his own? The American superstar will in fact wear number 32 instead of 55. That is, the jersey of his teammate Matthew Strazel, who has been suspended for the final game of the series amid controversy, following Monday’s meeting of the LNB disciplinary committee, for a verbal outburst directed at the referees during Game 3 in Monaco (77–88). While rumors had circulated about a possible boycott by part of the locker room if Strazel were suspended, the Roca Team came up with an unexpected and spectacular solution. > > Mike James’ Instagram story, showing his teammate Matthew Strazel, who is suspended for Game 5 of the finals. > > Mike James’ Instagram Story, showing his teammate Matthew Strazel, who was suspended for Game 5 of the finals. > The 2024 EuroLeague MVP and all-time leading scorer in the competition’s history will therefore attempt a comeback as a show of solidarity with his teammate. He had teased this return on social media a little over an hour before tip-off by posting a photo of Matthew Strazel in his Asvel jersey. The lyrics from the LL Cool J song he chose to accompany his story read: “Don’t call it a comeback. I’ve been here for years.”