Bayern heads to the semifinals after sweeping Goettingen

Yes! The Bayern Basketball team are heading to the semifinals after sweeping the series against a passionately fighting BG Goettingen. Bayern won 65-54 in Game 3 and are thus headed to the next round. Munich showed a lot of character in the second half especially. Top scorers were Winston (16) and Bonga (15) while Cheatham (11) and Gillespie (7) together brought down 18 rebounds.

Vs Ulm or Berlin

If Berlin wins, the FCBB will play the first two games of the best-of-five series on the road starting next Sunday (May 28/30), and then continue with Game 3 at the Audi Dome on Friday, May 26. Against Ulm, they would start with two home games on Sunday and Tuesday. - Tickets for the first home game, against either team, are already on sale.

Get your semifinals tickets!

Strong second half

In a very physical fight in front of a sold-out crowd, the Cup winners compensated for weaknesses from beyond the arc - the first three-pointer by Winston came on the eleventh attempt - with rebounding strength. 

After Trinchieri's half-time speech Bayern appeared even more focused and did not allow any points for five minutes and took a 12-point lead (58-46/33rd). The surprise team of the season, pushed by almost 3,500 fans, could not catch up, especially since top scorer Pape (17) had to leave the floor later in the game with a suspected concussion. Obst was able to play ten minutes for Bayern after a knee injury in Game 2 (87-85).

Score per quarter: 17-14, 19-23, 17-7, 12-10

Stats: Two-point shooting: 53% (FCBB) // 41% (Goettingen); Three-point shooting: 24% // 24%; Free-throw shooting: 73% // 88%; Rebounds: 42//30; Assists: 11//12; Turnovers: 13//14

Quotes:

Munich head coach, Andrea Trinchieri: "We adjusted the defense in the second half. In the first half we made a lot of avoidable mistakes. We knew they would play very aggressively. But it wasn't enough to warn my team. We didn't communicate well and that's why we gave up shots that we shouldn't concede. That gave them the momentum. Of course, we had an advantage because of all the injuries. I know exactly how that feels. We stayed in the game in the second half by playing good defense. They only scored 17 points, which was the key to the win. For the upcoming tasks, I want to see my team play with a lot of energy. I want them to give their best and fight, no matter against whom."  

Niels Giffey: "It was a piece of work, we plodded along a lot. The shooting was not good. But you can see from that, it's game three and late in the season. All teams know their opponents' systems and adjust to them. Then nuances decide. We had a lot of rotation in the squad throughout the season. There was no consistency. You have to find a good chemistry. The first game was maybe the best in terms of energy level, we have to keep that up. I think the rebounding did us good, after that we can attack and run the one or other counterattack. I'm curious to see what else happens in the series between Berlin and Ulm. From Munich, the trip to Ulm would at least be a bit shorter." 

Andreas Obst: "Goettingen fought strongly, Pape played very well in the first half. After the break, however, we showed our quality and countered well. Of course, we are missing important players with experience, but we have a very good group. It's good that we can rest for a few days now. It doesn't matter against whom we play because our goal will be the same."

Goettingen head coach, Roel Moors: "I think the fans have supported us all season. Again today they gave us an insane amount of energy and the players took advantage of that. Part of our plan was the inside game. That's until Harper Kamp and Till Pape had to leave. But I've never made excuses and in the end Bayern was stronger. I think we finished the season with our heads held high. My players gave everything, but unfortunately it wasn't enough.  We showed a lot of character. I'm a small part of it, but it was the whole team that believed in success. It wasn't always consistent, but in the end we have to be satisfied with 19 wins and sixth place. We were also competitive in the playoffs, at least in games two and three."

Game recap:

The best news for Bayern came before tip-off and that was that Andi Obst was at least an option off the bench after what looked like a bad injury in Game 2. Cash Winston took over for the FCBB captain in the starting five along with Nick Weiler-Babb, Isaac Bonga, Niklas Wimberg and Freddie Gillespie. In the early stages of the game both teams were on an equal footing. While Bonga and Winston directly picked up momentum, Till Pape was on fire for Goettingen. The center scored eight points in the first four minutes and took an early lead 10-8. The playfulness of the five changed abruptly when Zylan Cheatham came on the floor. With his athleticism, he dominated the zone and even brought a touch of Nowitzki into the hall with a flamingo fadeaway.  However, all ten attempts from the three-point line missed in the first quarter, which prevented a clearer lead (17-14). 

The situation was exactly the opposite for the hosts. They had four threes from Pape alone, which Trinchieri did not and he quickly called a time-out (19-19/11th). Winston briefly silenced the loud shouts against him and his team with a few buckets. Overall, however, the mood remained testy. The guests did not let themselves be ruffled and they consistently looked for solutions and found them in Bonga and Jaramaz,  32-27(16th). In the middle of a small Munich run, Mark Smith, who had been ice cold, suddenly found his rhythm. The American was unstoppable until the break and secured a razor-thin lead for the home team (37-36).

Goettingen remains scoreless for five minutes

Bonga demanded more energy before the start of the second half and led the way with a steal and a block. Coach Roel Moors, on the other hand, had to watch his top scorer Pape leave the court with a bleeding nose after an unfortunate collision with Bonga. As a result, it took more than five minutes for BG to score again. The Trinchieri team used that for a 10-0 run (46-37). Even though the hosts slowly recovered from the shock, they were not given easy shots. Only Bayern's relatively poor shooting kept them from taking a bigger lead than 53-44.  

In the final quarter the home side tried to bring their promising shooters into the game with Smith and Crandall. But the stout Bayern defense forced the two scorers to force their shots and they lacked much success. Winston's three-pointer brought the sweep within reach (58-46/33rd). When Smith also had to go to the locker room injured, Roel Moors finally ran out of options and took a time-out. With five minutes left on the clock, the first sloppiness crept into the Munich game. Giffey made up for two turnovers in a row with a block. The FCBB allowed only 17 points in the entire second half and the dominant defense secured the victory in Game 3 against a injury decimated Goettingen and punched their ticket to the playoff semifinals - 65-54.