It was the 79th game of the season - and it continues! FC Bayern Basketball has reached the BBL finals, with a 75-61 (38-33) win over an outstandingly fighting Würzburg team, winning the series 3-0 - just as they had hoped.
In front of 3,200 fans in the sold-out "Turnhölle," FCBB took on the challenge after a hesitant start. Ibaka (19), Edwards (15), and Lucic (12) led a collective effort that left no doubt after the break.
Home games on Saturday and Monday
For FC Bayern Basketball, this is already their seventh participation in the playoff finals since the BBL premiere season in 2011/2012.
The first two final games at BMW Park will take place next Saturday and two days later, both at 8:30 PM - ticket sales have started. Berlin and Chemnitz battle out the opponent in their series.
Würzburg Baskets - FC Bayern Basketball 61:75 (33:38)
FCBB:
Serge Ibaka (19 points, 8 rebounds), Carsen Edwards (15), Vladimir Lucic (12), Isaac Bonga (8), Andreas Obst (8), Niels Giffey (7), Devin Booker (4, 6 rebounds), Elias Harris (2), Leandro Bolmaro, Nelson Weidemann (dnp), Niklas Wimberg (dnp), Ivan Kharchenkov (dnp)
Top scorer Würzburg:
Darius Perry (21 points)
Referee
Robert Lottermoser, Martin Matip, Steve Bittner
Attendance
3,140 (sold-out)
Würzburg starts strong
Francisco and Weiler-Babb had traveled with the team, but Pablo Laso continued to rely on the same squad as before in the series. However, after four minutes, he called for the first timeout - 3:12, as the game plan was not followed. Without committing a single foul, they entered the last minute of the first quarter trailing 12:18.
Ibaka cleans up
The lesson was learned: Harris and Giffey brought in physicality, and the World Champion's equalizer made it 18:18 (13th minute). Amid the rising tension, Bonga and Obst hit from the outside, Edwards attacked boldly, and Ibaka cleaned up under the basket to lead at halftime.
Edwards and Bonga with threes
The short rotation of the Franconians had to watch after the restart as Ibaka dunked to the first double-digit lead (48:37/24th minute). Bonga then extended it to 60:46 (29th minute) with a three-pointer, and despite much passion, Würzburg could no longer stop Bayern - finals!
Quotes
Pablo Laso, Head coach FC Bayern Basketball: "First, congratulations to my team. We dominated the series and won because we defended well. Today, we held them to under 20 points in every quarter, even though they play very good basketball. We had to be ready from the beginning. We struggled at the start, as we expected. We knew it would be tough here, but we stuck with it, turned the game around, and got the win. I'm very happy for the club that we are in the finals again, after a season where we finished first in the regular season, won 13 games in the EuroLeague, and won the cup. This shows that we have worked very hard to get here. Lucic said it in the locker room: We are not stopping now, it is not over yet. He is right: When you are in the finals, it has to be about winning. I am very happy with what we have achieved, but now we want the title. It will be tough, but I think this team deserves to play for the title."“
Isaac Bonga: "For me personally, the semifinal victory is a stepping stone, we have higher goals. But shoutout to Würzburg, they are a really good team. (…) Many of us have been in such situations before. It’s fun to play in such an atmosphere. (…) I think we train for this. I personally try to be mentally ready during this time, it is the most important time of the season, and you can't afford to make small mistakes."
Carsen Edwards: "I think the most important thing was that we stayed focused defensively and rebounded well (…) Finals MVP is not a goal for me. I want to win and go home as a winner. And I think we all want to win for each other. (…) I am just happy to be in the finals – no matter who we face."
Sasa Filipovski, Head coach Würzburg Baskets: "First of all, congratulations to Bayern, they were the better team and deserved to be in the finals. I am very proud of my players, my coaching staff, and this season. It was a great pleasure and honor to coach this team. (…) We have improved from training to training and from month to month. Only the two EuroLeague teams, the Europe Cup champion, and the defending champion were ahead of us in the standings. We are very proud of that. But it is also the responsibility of the whole club to continue with this attitude, professionalism, and positive energy and to keep developing."
easyCredit BBL Playoff finals 2024 (best-of-five):
Game 1 – Saturday, June 8, 8:30 PM: FCBB vs. Berlin/Chemnitz
Game 2 – Monday, June 10, 8:30 PM: FCBB vs. Berlin/Chemnitz
Game 3 – Wednesday, June 12, 8:30 PM: Berlin/Chemnitz vs. FCBB
Game 4* – Friday, June 14, 6:00 PM: Berlin/Chemnitz vs. FCBB
Game 5* – Sunday, June 16, 5:00 PM: FCBB vs. Berlin/Chemnitz
* = if necessary