Everyone had warned about a supposedly exhausted opponent, and not all of it was believed - but the always difficult start was successful: The Bayern basketball team won the first final game for the German championship against Alba Berlin 79:67 (46:43) and leads 1:0.
Game 2 on Monday
In front of 6,500 fans in the sold-out BMW Park, the guests were on par until the middle of the third quarter, before the cup winner's offense started producing again. Five players scored in double figures: Edwards, Ibaka, Lucic, Obst, and Booker.
The second game takes place in just 46 hours, again in the BMW Park at 8:30 PM.
FC Bayern Basketball - Alba Berlin 79:67 (46:43)
FCBB:
Lucic (17 Points), Obst (15,), Edwards (15), Booker (10), Ibaka (10), Bonga (5), Bolmaro (3), Harris (2), Giffey (2), Weiler-Babb, Wimberg, Kharchenkov
Top scorer Berlin:
Sterling Brown (15 points)
Referee
Robert Lottermoser, Martin Matip, Johannes Hack
Attendance
6,500 (sold-out)
Obst excels
For Bayern, Weiler-Babb was back in the squad for the first time in four weeks (Francisco is on the verge), while Thiemann watched for Alba.
Ibaka countered Berlin's opening, Lucic scored the first lead and increased it to 18:10 (7th minute). The defense stepped up and Obst was on fire: three clean three-pointers for a 26:15 lead (9th minute).
That was it for minutes with ball movement, Berlin was thus invited and gratefully accepted, only 30:29 (13th minute). Both teams were shooting 60 percent from the field and 43 Berlin points spoke for the guest's fighting spirit.
Alba briefly ahead
Berlin organized its game, and the pick-and-roll was not effectively countered even in the third quarter - 54:57 (26th minute). Edwards and the amazing shooter Obst brought the team back. The world champion, along with Lucic, also set the tone defensively against Alba's shooters - from 73:62 (34th minute) onwards, Bayern was on track. They only allowed five points in the final quarter and forced a total of 20 turnovers.
Quotes
Pablo Laso: "It was the tough game we expected. They were ready and in rhythm (after the semifinals). It took a while for us to understand what was necessary for this game. In the second half, our defense was much better than in the first. They played well, but in the last quarter, we were able to further improve our defense, which was probably the key. It's over, it's 1:0, and as Israel said, it continues in two days. (...) Nick was out for a few weeks, but it was important to have him back. He was able to play a few minutes, and he will get better day by day. The same goes for Thiemann and Francisco. Nick and he are both training with the team, and today we decided to give Nick a few minutes. It will be better on Monday, and we hope it will be the same for Francisco. But today was a very good team performance. (...).
We have to acknowledge Berlin for how they fight after their last week. I know Israel and the people of the club and how competitive they are. They showed that again today. We did not play our best basketball, but it was very important that we were always solid. Our best moments were defensively in the last quarter. But it's just the start, and we definitely need to be better in two days."
Serge Ibaka: "Defense wins championships. We came out with a good mentality and defended well from the start, which is why we were able to win today. We knew they would come here and try to play their basketball. They are one of the best teams in the league, which is why they are rightfully in the finals. We need to keep working. (...) We defended well as a team and helped each other. That's why we allowed so few points in the last quarter. (...) We need the same mentality in two days and must learn from today's game and try to do even better."
Vladimir Lucic: "It was a very interesting game. Our defense in the second half brought us the victory. It's only 1:0, and Alba is a great team missing a few players. In the series against Chemnitz, other players stepped up with their talent. We need to prepare for the next game; it's only 1:0. (...) I was ready the whole time, sometimes in a different role than today, but lately, I've been more involved in our offense. Individual performances don't interest me; as a team, our only goal is to win the title."
easyCredit BBL Playoff Finals 2024 (Score: 1:0)
Game 2 - Monday, June 10, 8:30 PM: FCBB - Berlin
Game 3 - Wednesday, June 12, 8:30 PM: Berlin/Chemnitz - FCBB
*Game 4 - Friday, June 14, 6 PM: Berlin/Chemnitz - FCBB
*Game 5 - Sunday, June 16, 5 PM: FCBB - Berlin/Chemnitz
* = if necessary