Djedovic shoots Bayern into the semifinals against Bonn

Sweep! The Bayern basketball team is now in the playoff semifinals: Andreas Trinchieri's team won 87-80 in the witches' cauldron of the Chemnitz Exhibition Center thanks to a fighting performance in overtime against the Niners. In an intense playoff thriller in front of 4,700 fans, the decision was made by three three-pointers in overtime for the Munich team, although they were again suffering from injuries. Top scorer was Nick Weiler-Babb with 19 points.

The Bavarians will now meet second-place Telekom Baskets Bonn, who also swept Hamburg 3-0, and will have home court advantage. Tickets for the first Munich home game (Sat., 4.6., 20:30) are on sale!

TICKET SHOP

Early without Sisko und George

Unimpressed by the heated atmosphere, the FCBB opened calmly and as always Thomas was wide awake in the front court (20-11/8th). However, Sisko then struggled with his back and had to go out early, as did George, who twisted his ankle. Despite the painful losses, the visitors held on aggressively (32-17/15th).

The second half saw rebounding weaknesses at the start and suddenly Niners threes and Munich misses and Chemnitz took a 60-51 lead.  The quarter was lost 32-16, but FCBB fought back immediately with an 11-0 run and three Obst bucket to make it 64-63 (34th). Shortly before the end Lucic had the open shot to win but in overtime he actually scored to take the lead and Djedovic added twice to make it 85-78 and on to the next round.

Points per quarter Bayern - Chemnitz: 20-15, 21-16, 16-32, 17-11, 13-6.

Stats: Two-point shooting: 44% (FCBB) // 51% (Chemnitz); Three-point shooting: 52% // 28%; Free-throw shooting: 80% // 76%; Rebounds: 33 // 40; Assists: 17 // 18; Turnovers: 15 // 15.

Quotes:      

FCBB head coach, Andrea Trinchieri: "This was a tough game against a good opponent. We had two players go down after being in the game for two minutes, Sisko and Jason (George), that complicated things tremendously in this tough game. (...) When you lose two point guards from the rotation, it gets harder because that cost us a lot of minutes. On the floor, a couple of players had to do a lot, like Weiler-Babb and Lucic. But I especially want to congratulate Chemnitz and Rodrigo Pastore for an inspiring season. They were a great opponent and we had to go beyond our limits to beat them. I really wish them all the best. All the players and Rodrigo deserve great respect for the way they played and for their organization. We are happy that we were able to end the series in three games. Now hopefully we can recover well and get some players fit. Possibly the team will get two days off."

Nihad Djedovic: "First of all congratulations to this Chemnitz team, they have played an outstanding season. To play and win in front of this crowd is outstanding. It was a great basketball atmosphere. In the end, we had a little more ice in our veins. The game could have ended differently. If Chemnitz had won, they would have deserved the victory as well. Fortunately, we got the thing now - that's it. We knew we could earn two days off, so we gave everything we had in the tank at the end. Having two days off at this stage of the season is a lot. You have to regenerate because today was a really tough game. And now it's on to the next one for us."

Game recap:

FCBB started the 76th game of the season with Nick Weiler-Babb, Andreas Obst, Nihad Djedovic, Deshaun Thomas and Leon Radosevic. In the pre-game interview, coach Andrea Trinchieri demanded concentration and a certain killer instinct from his team to end the series. The very first attack indicated that Bayern took the order to heart: Weiler-Babb's three-pointer was spot-on. With their nearly 5,000 fans behind them, the Niners presented themselves well but for the EuroLeague-steeled Munich team, such a backdrop is nothing out of the ordinary. Thomas was repeatedly unstoppable and largely responsible for the lead holding (13-10/6th minute of play). Trinchieri brought fresh forces from the bench and Jason George thanked him with the three-pointer to make it 16-10 (7th). The Bayern defense stopped the Chemnitz efforts time and again, which calmed the crowd and increased the lead (20-11/8th). The Saxons - pushed by the fans - found their way back and reduced the lead to 20-15 by the end of the first quarter.

The FCBB used the short breather to sharpen their focus. A tight defense forced Chemnitz to turn the ball over and in front they moved the ball briskly and cleverly. The 8-0 run forced Rodrigo Pastore to call a timeout (28-15/13th). The first basket in this quarter was scored by the Niners after more than three minutes, but the Bavarians took that in their stride and remained stable at first, before a few insecurities crept in. Chemnitz used this for a 6-0 run which Weiler-Babb stopped with a three-pointer (35-23/17th). Chemnitz played as if their season was on the line but the Munich team acted calmly and made better decisions and the lead remained in double figures (38-25/18th). Whirlwind Washington caused trouble for the Bayern defense, but Munich maintained a ten-point lead at halftime, 41-31.

Chemnitz forces the turnaround

Trinchieri's face darkened as he had to watch an 11-4 run of the Niners - time-out FCBB (45-42/23rd). The discussion did not have the intended effect: Munich was off its game and Chemnitz came threateningly close with the fans behind them (45-44/24th). A three-pointer by Weiler-Babb initially prevented the lead from changing hands, but the Saxons now had the momentum on their side. Nelson Weidemann, on loan from Bayern to Chemnitz, gave Chemnitz the lead a little later from the free-throw line (50-49/25th). The Munich team couldn't hit anything, the Saxons everything. The game was now completely different and with a 12-0 run the Niners pulled away (57-49/28th). Chemnitz sank its fifth three-pointer in this quarter but Weiler-Babb answered with his fourth to make it 60-54 (29th). Obst's three-pointer two seconds before the end of the third quarter kept FCBB in the game - 63-57.

Bayern fights back with nerves of steel via the defense

Munich has so often proven that it can come back from weak phases with calmness and nerves of steel. Obst hit the next three-pointer after twelve seconds (63-60). The FCBB intensified their defense and regained the upper hand - another Obst bucket gave the FCBB the 65-63 lead (34th). The hosts only managed to score their first basket after just under five minutes, but that was when the lead changed hands again (65-64/35th). Now of all times the Munich team made mistakes again, but Weiler-Babb hit the extremely difficult three-pointer to equalize 67-67 (36th). Weidemann's three-pointer was answered by Jaramaz with a goal to tie it up again (70-70/37th). Rubit was searched and found and after a foul he coolly steered both free throws into the basket. In the following attack Susinskas equalized for Chemnitz at 72-72. With 80 seconds on the clock, Jaramaz succeeded in making the steal, which he immediately converted himself via a basket for the 74-72 lead. The Niners equalized again at the free-throw line (74-74/64 seconds left). An unfortunate turnover by Lucic favored the Saxons, whose shot, however, missed the basket. Vladimir Lucic had the winning three-pointer in hand, but it fell short - overtime.

Two threes from Djedovic and the defense decide

In the five extra minutes Chemnitz went ahead first and Rubit missed two free throws (76-74/41st). Lucic distinguished himself by not letting himself be distracted by missed shots, but rather spurring them on - after two driving layups, he sank a three-pointer to take the lead (77-76/43rd). Munich's defense worked, Djedovic converted a very long three-pointer to make it 80-76. Chemnitz was successful twice from the free-throw line, but so was Weiler-Babb (82-78/44th). The Bayern defense made it difficult for the strong Saxons, and Djedovic's next three-pointer decided the game.

THE PLAYOFF SEMI-FINALS (best-of-five):

Game 1, Saturday, May 28, 20:30.: Bonn - FCBB

Game 2, Monday, May 30, 20:30.: Bonn - FCBB

Game 3, Saturday, June 4, 18:00.: FCBB - Bonn

Game 4*, Monday, June 6, 18:00.: FCBB - Bonn

Game 5*, Wednesday, June 8, 20:30.: Bonn - FCBB

*= if necessary

SCHEDULE

(c) Stickel, Stimpel