The timetable of the Bavarian basketball players for their "title defense mission" is taking shape. With the Bamberg loss on Thursday in Frankfurt, the standings leader has already secured home-court for the play-off quarter-finals (starting May 18th). The best-of-five series will thus begin in the Audi Dome, with advance sales for the first two games available. In order to win the main round, which brings the home advantage for all playoff rounds, the German champion now needs three more wins from the last six games of the regular season. After 28 games FCCB lead the league with 52-4 points, and are comfortably ahead of rival Oldenburg (46-10).
Game start on Sunday at 15:00
The Bavarians want a win on Easter Sunday in their home game against the rising stars Crailsheim, starting at 15:00. The Munich team will be back after a strange week: This time they had the opportunity to regenerate and train and the duel with the Merlins is the only one this week. After Easter it gets crazy again with two playoff dress rehearsals in Berlin (28.4.) and Bamberg (30.4. - Audi Dome).
Crailsheim should appear unconcerned and with maximum resistance in the Audi Dome, as the newcomer is in the middle of a battle to stay in the top league. With wins over their direct rivals Bremerhaven and Gießen, the team of the Finnish coach Tuomas Iisalo has gained a small cushion. They missed an opportunity to win their eighth game as they lost on Thursday against Ulm 82-79.
Shortly before the end of March, the Merlins made splash by add 28-year-old, American winger Hollis Thompson. Between 2013 and 2017 Thompson played in the NBA in Philadelphia, followed by time in the EuroLeague for Panathinaikos and now from the G-League (Arizona) to Crailsheim.