A nerve-wracking battle with a happy ending: FC Bayern Basketball won the extremely tough and hard-fought third playoff final in Berlin 67:63 (31:28) and now leads the series 2-1. This gives Pablo Laso's team two opportunities to bring the sixth championship back to Munich.
Game 4 on Friday on Dyn
The first do-or-die game of the series will take place on Friday at 6 PM (Dyn). On Wednesday, FCBB showed a united willpower and did not lose a single quarter in front of 11,300 spectators.
Alba Berlin - FC Bayern Basketball 63:67 (28:31)
FCBB:
Andreas Obst (14 Points), Carsen Edwards (12), Nick Weiler-Babb (9, 6 Assists), Devin Booker (7, 7 Rebounds), Serge Ibaka (6), Isaac Bonga (6, 6 Rebounds), Leandro Bolmaro (6, 5 Rebounds), Vladimir Lucic (3, 7 Rebounds), Sylvain Francisco (2), Niels Giffey (2), Elias Harris, Niklas Wimberg (n.e.)
Top scorer Berlin:
Matt Thomas (17 Points)
Referee
Robert Lottermoser, Gentian Cici, Zulfikar Oruzgani
Attendance
11.321
More rebounds for FCBB
It also didn’t take long for Alba to get back into the game, as Booker received an unsportsmanlike foul (27:26/15th minute). A physical, low-scoring duel saw the guests narrowly ahead at halftime thanks to rebounds from Bolmaro and Bonga.
Francisco’s comeback
Berlin capitalized on Munich’s mistakes and led 39:35 (26th minute). Francisco made his first appearance after three weeks - the Frenchman secured the 48:45 with a buzzer-beater layup at the end of the third quarter.
However, the offense rarely found its desired positions, and individual top performances were needed - first Obst, then Weiler-Babb from outside, and a crucial rebound from Ibaka, 61:51 (36th minute)!
Edwards' big shot
Now, with 2:20 minutes left, Pablo Laso called another timeout - turnovers allowed Berlin to go on a 10-0 run to tie the game.
The drama unfolded: Edwards hit a difficult three-pointer with 66 seconds left to make it 65:61, a Munich offensive foul (17 seconds), a steal by Bonga plus free throws (10.6 seconds) - victory.
Quotes
Pablo Laso, Head Coach of FC Bayern Basketball: "Congratulations to my players on the victory. Both teams played good basketball, considering it’s the finals and we’ve had more than 80 games. Even though it’s tough, we saw a lot of intensity and energy, which speaks well for the players. It’s June, these are the last games, and yet my players fight for every ball. I’m happy about the win and the rebound area, which hurt us in the second game. We also moved the ball better. When we were ten points ahead, we didn’t play very smart and lost the ball multiple times. But Alba also fought very well again. It’s 2-1, but it’s not over yet. We have a lot of work ahead of us if we want to win the series."
Andreas Obst: "It wasn’t the prettiest game, it was defensively oriented with many mistakes. In the end, we conceded an unnecessary run, which wasn’t easy mentally. But we stayed strong, found a good response in defense, and moved the ball well on offense without throwing it away (…) Game 2 should teach us never to write off Alba, that we must always expect a response from Berlin. We thought it would be easier in the second game, we were surprised and then it was almost too late. We have to do better in two days, be ready, be hungry. (…) Carsen’s shot was very important, it gave us a push. But we also had actions as a team in defense before that, getting important stops."
Serge Ibaka: "That’s our mindset. Before the game, we knew we had to be aggressive, physical, and ready to find answers. We managed that today. (…) The way Alba plays, a lot happens inside. I have to play for my teammates, create space offensively. (…) We don’t give up. We play together!"
easyCredit BBL Playoff Finals 2024 (Series: Bayern leads 2-1)
Game 4 – Friday, June 14, 6 PM: Berlin vs. FCBB
*Game 5 – Sunday, June 16, 5 PM: FCBB vs. Berlin
* = if necessary