In the end, of course, they fought hard for the victory but the guests came out on top in the end. The Bayern basketball team lost the prestige duel with Alba Berlin 83-78 on Tuesday and end the BBL regular season with a 25-9 record. In the fourth meeting of two of the top teams this season, which this time no longer had any significance for the standings, Berlin won for the first time in front of 3,500 fans.
The FCBB, however, had to do without head coach Andrea Trinchieri at very short notice in their third game within five days, who was already in the hall but left it again before tip-off due to indisposition; Hillard and Walden as well as Hunter were missing.
Obsts Three-point show
The team got off to a rough start, with Alba leading 13-2 and Bayern scoring for the first time after five minutes. The rivals largely offered the best possible line-up, at FCBB Thomas and then captain Djedovic got their guys back on track (23-20/15th). Fouls again led to a lead at halftime, after which then top scorer Obst (15) pulled off a three-point show (50-45). In the last quarter, the hosts struggled for offensive rhythm (62-61/33rd) and allowed a few too many turnovers in the final quarter.
FC Bayern Basketball - Alba Berlin 78:83 (34:41)
FCBB:
Andreas Obst (15 Points, 5/8 Threes), Leon Radosevic (14), Nihad Djedovic (11), Nick Weiler-Babb (10), Gavin Schilling (9), Deshaun Thomas (6), Vladimir Lucic (5), Zan Mark Sisko (4), Augustine Rubit (2), Ognjen Jaramaz (2), Jason George, Paul Zipser (n.e.).
Top scorer Berlin:
Jaleen Smith (24 Points)
Referee
Moritz Reiter, Clemens Fritz, Nesa Kovacevic
Attendance
3,516
Points per quarter Bayern - Berlin: 16-20, 18-21, 22-17, 22-25.
Stats: Two-point shooting: 55 % (FCBB) // 53 % (Berlin); Three-point shooting: 43% // 38 %; Free-throw shooting: 92 % // 68 %; Rebounds: 26 // 37; Assists: 19 // 19; Turnovers: 14 // 15.
Quotes:
FCBB assistant coach, Slaven Rimac:
"I think the game was decided in the end by better focus and better decisions by the Alba players. Maybe that's normal, after the Barcelona game we played Ulm directly, then Goettingen - that's not easy, physically and mentally, especially since we play the first playoff round starting Friday. We can't be unhappy. Of course, it's never good to lose, but we have goals for the season and we have to focus on the first playoff game. Congratulations to Alba. Now we are already thinking about Friday. We will see what awaits us - probably Chemnitz.
(...)
We often have the situation that we have to find spontaneous solutions to problems, and that was the case today. The situation that Coach Andrea would not be there came late before tip-off, but these things happen. And apart from the first five minutes, when we lacked energy and the will to score, we had a decent game. We had a smaller rotation because of the injuries, but everyone on the floor tried to win the game.
(...)
We didn't put all our cards on the table, they didn't put all their cards on the table, for sure. This is normal. Of course, we wanted to win, but I hope we will meet again and then we will be more satisfied with the result. But because of the scheduling, this game had no value for the standings.
(...)
It's difficult to prepare for Chemnitz when everyone says you're playing against Chemnitz, but it's not fixed. We don't know who we're playing against. After Barcelona, the players have to mentally forget about the Euroleague season and refocus on the BBL playoffs. I hope when we meet for the first practice, where we prepare for the opponent, we are focused and concentrated so we are in the shape you saw us play against Barcelona."
Andreas Obst: "It was a pretty wild game. I think it was important for the head to make a statement in a way. We ended up losing out, but as I said, we wanted to take the game seriously because we knew what it was about. That has great significance. But now we have to focus on Friday. We only found out at the start of the game that Coach Trinchieri would not be coaching, so you have to make the best of that. Of course, the defeat is not the nicest way to end the regular season, but we can also take a lot of good things from the last games. Now we have to regenerate for a day and then improve a few things - then we can look forward to the playoffs with optimism. I don't care who we play in the first round. We have to get past everyone, so we'll take it as it comes. Both Chemnitz and Ludwigsburg are fine with us."
Nick Weiler-Babb: "This was a good start to be ready for the playoffs, a good game. Both teams played intensively and showed convincing play. You can't take a negative feeling into the playoffs, even with this loss - it's like a new season: everyone starts from zero. We'll start on Friday and then get going. I don't care who we start the playoffs against."
Game recap:
Nick Weiler-Babb, Jason George, Vladimir Lucic, Augustine Rubit and Leon Radosevic started the gamea for the FCBB. Munich started cautiously and faced a 10-0 run against the more awake Berliners. After Trinchieri representative Slaven Rimac's timeout, Djedovic scored for FCBB for the first time after more than five minutes (10-2/6th minute of play). Bayern looked erratic and unfocused and made it far too easy for their rivals from the capital. But slowly the Munich team found its rhythm and thrilled the fans with a brisk 8-0 run (17-14/10th). At the end of the quarter, the damage was limited, the deficit was moderate at 20-16.
Alba was now off the rails and couldn't get anything going but FCBB also had its fair share of trouble. At least Rubit managed to equalize 20-20 after three minutes of the quarter. A short time later, Radosevic drilled the first Bayern three-pointer to take the lead (23-20/15th). FCBB captain Nihad Djedovic put on a very good performance, with a three-pointer to make it 28-25 - he was the first player on the floor to score in double-digits (17th). The Munich team was on its toes and mostly in the lead, but in a rather insignificant game from a sporting point of view it could not be ignored that nobody likes to lose against the other. So Alba came back with a 9-1 run and led at halftime - 41-34.
Obst takes over
An Obst three-pointer rang in the second half, and his next three-pointer brought his team within one at 43-42 (23rd). The referees played a role, and that never does a game any good. Obst was "on fire" and forced the lead with his third three-pointer of the quarter while Lucic chased down another long-range shot and forced Berlin to call a timeout (50-45/25th). The Munich team committed a few fouls but defended the lead tooth and nail (52-47/28th). The game was now a rather bumpy affair, even after this quarter the reigning German champions led - 58-56.
A taste of the playoffs
Radosevic forced the 61-60 lead with five points in a row (33rd). Berlin's Luke Sikma's passing ability made things difficult for the Bavarians, and ex-Munich player Maodo Lo scored to give Berlin the lead (66-64/35th). Obst kept his team in the game with his fifth three-pointer, and now it was all threes for both teams. FCBB coach Rimac took a timeout because his men were trailing 75-72 (37th). On the floor it became more heated - Munich against Berlin! The upcoming crunch time was of course a small test run for the playoffs. The lead changed with every attack during the last three minutes, five times in fact, the margin was never more than one point. Munich had the offense to win, but a turnover destroyed the hope and was enough for the Berliners to win in the playoff dress rehearsal: With eight seconds on the clock, Lucic's three-pointer to tie the game missed the basket.
Photos: Eirich, Stickel, Pahnke