FC Bayern München Basketball lost Game 1 of the Finals against Berlin in overtime on Sunday by a final score of 106-95. In front of 6,054 fans at the Audi Dome, the Bavarians made too many mistakes and were unable to control the three-point shooting of the visiting team (64% 3pt). In regulation, Bayern had a chance to win it with a last second attempt by Vladimir Lucic but it was just long and they instead headed to overtime. FCBB was clearly unhappy about having to play extra minutes and it affected their play and they failed to keep up with the hot-shooting Berliners. Nihad Djedovic was the top scorer on the night for the Munich team with 18 points.
Next Thursday game 2 of the series for the championship in Berlin will take place followed by the third meeting on Sunday at the Audi Dome at 18:30 CEST.
Points per quarter Bayern-Berlin: 21-20, 17-26, 24-18, 25-23, 8-19.
FCBB Stats: Nihad Djedovic (18 points), Danilo Barthel (17), Stefan Jovic (16), Jared Cunningham (13), Vladimir Lucic (13), Devin Booker (9), Maik Zirbes (4), Anton Gavel, Alex King and Braydon Hobbs.
Quotes:
Dejan Radonjic, head coach of FCBB: "Berlin delivered a good game today. They hit their threes and controlled the game from long distance. We need to keep our concentration high throughout the series. We didn't get the chance to finish the game in regular time. Alba ended up dominating overtime."
Berlin head coach, Aiot: "Today was a good game for both teams and above all a good game for the spectators. We had some good times and the Bavarians had their moments. In the end, a 1-0 lead doesn't mean anything. We must be more consistent."
1st quarter:
There was good news for the home fans before the game as the scoreboard flashed an update that Vladimir Lucic, who injured himself against Frankfurt, would be available for Bayern in Game 1. Coach Dejan Radonjic opened the series with Anton Gavel, Nihad Djedovic, Jared Cunningham, Danilo Barthel and Devin Booker and the starting five seemed a bit nervous to start the game. Berlin took advantage of three early turnovers by drilling three shots from beyond the arc and taking a 9-2 lead after three minutes. Bayern fought their way back into the game but Berlin consistently hit their threes and after Spencer Butterfield's third three the score was 17-11 for Berlin. Stefan Jovic then put the team on his back and took control of the game, bringing the score back to 20-18. Jovic was the one who hit a three at the end of the quarter to bring the first lead of the game for the home team, 21-20.
2nd quarter:
Lucic scored his first points of the game and things started to get heated between the two top BBL teams. Both teams were getting aggravated but Bayern especially was getting the whistle called on them and were in the bonus after only two minutes of play in the second quarter. Still, FCBB found their rhythm eventually and would have been even more successful if they could have hit their free-throws. The Berliners remained in the lead and were on the edge of a double-digit separation when Danilo Barthel scored five-straight points and brought the score to 38-34. Lucic hit a big jump shot but Berlin managed to pull away a bit at the break with a score of 46-38.
3rd quarter:
The second half started much better for the Munich squad and they put Berlin under serious pressure on both sides of the ball. Nihad Djedovic scored seven points in-a-row but Berlin's Marius Grigonis seemingly couldn't miss and they retained the lead for the first five minutes of play. The lead grew to 11 points but Bayern finally had their answer and as they tightened their defense an 11-0 run soon followed and the home team tied things up at 62. Aftern an exciting third quarter the score was neck and neck at 64-62, Berlin holding a tiny lead.
4th quarter:
The two teams traded three pointers before Nihad Djedoivc made a brilliant steal which led to a fast break dunk on the other end for the Bayern veteran. Jovic hit a three, Djedovic stayed hot and for a moment it seemed that the home team could run away with things with five minutes left in the game. It wasn't to be as Grigonis continued to drill shots from deep and with three minutes remaining Bayern had just a three-point lead at 81-78. With on minute remaining, Vladimir Lucic tied the game again after Berlin had taken a two-point lead and this was followed by a back and forth of scoring and an 87-87 tie with 30 seconds left. Lucic had a chance to end things at the buzzer but his shot from deep was just a bit long and the game headed to overtime.
OT:
Fans were treated to five extra minutes after 40 minutes of beautiful, tough, playoff basketball but unfortunately it quickly turned south for Bayern. Berlin continued to get to the free-throw line (with some questionable flops) but still somehow, the score was close for the first half of extra time. It didn't last though as Berlin continued to hit their shots and Bayern couldn't pay for a bucket in the last three minutes. The visitors went on a 12-2 run which effectively ended Game 1 at the Audi Dome. Final score, Berlin 106 Bayern 95.
Playoff final against Berlin (best-of-five):
Game 2: Thursday, June 7th, 19:00 (in Berlin)
Game 3: Sunday, June 10th, 18:30 (Audi Dome)
Game 4*: Wednesday, June 13th, 20:00 (in Berlin)
Game 5*: Saturday, June 16th, 20:30 (Audi Dome)
*if necessary