FC Bayern Munich were the first team to win a road game in the easyCredit BBL #playoffsbaby and they did it twice against Telekom Baskets Bonn for a commanding 2-0 lead heading back home. In the other semi-finals series, ALBA BERLIN extended their winning streak to 16 games as they took both games at home over MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg. Off the court, EWE Baskets Oldenburg as expected brought in Spanish head coach Pedro Calles after the playcalled left Hamburg Towers. The northern German club lost another major figure as Justus Holltaz left his hometown club to sign with CB Breogan in Spain.
In this section, we break out our English language skills and inform you about the latest news from the German easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga. If you’re short on time but still want your fill of Germany’s top basketball league then you are in the right place. Every week David Hein (www.heinnews.com) brings you up-to-date in German basketball – the easyCredit BBL short and sweet:
Bayern steal Game 2 on road, take 2-0 lead back home
FC Bayern Munich took a commanding 2-0 lead in their semi-finals series with Telekom Baskets Bonn by grabbing Game 2 on the road with a hard-fought 82-81 victory. The game was tight throughout with eight points being the biggest advantage and there were nine lead changes and nine ties. Bayern led by five points with 89 seconds left but Parker Jackson-Cartwright scored and Karsten Tadda buried a triple to tie the game with under a minute to play. Othello Hunter and Javontae Hawkins swapped baskets before Hunter split two free throws with 3.1 seconds remaining. Hawkins missed his three-pointer at the buzzer and Bayern left Bonn with a 2-0 lead. Bayern grabbed 13 offensive rebounds to 8 for Bonn, resulting in five more shots in an otherwise tight game stats-wise as well. Nick Weiler-Babb led the way with 18 points and 9 rebounds, Andi Obst hit 4 three-pointers for 17 points and Deshaun Thomas scored 16 points in the win. Jeremy Morgan was Bonn’s leading scorer with 17 points, Tadda and Hakwins both had 16 points and PJC once again was bottled up by Bayern with 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting while dealing with foul trouble. Game 3 will be played on Saturday June 4 in Munich with the home team hoping to close out the series.
Bayern take Game 1 in Bonn, steal home court advantage
FC Bayern Munich stole home court advantage in their semi-finals series with Telekom Baskets Bonn by winning Game 1 80-68 on the road - the first road victory in this season’s #playoffsbaby. The game went back and forth in the first 26 minutes until Bayern went on a 13-3 run to take an 11-point lead late in the third quarter. Bonn pulled back with one point with 8 minutes to play but Munich answered with 14 straight points to finish off the hosts, who had lost just twice at home in the regular season. Bayern made up for 21 turnovers by controlling the boards 42-24 and holding Bonn to just 38.5 percent shooting. The Serbian duo of Vladimir Lucic and Ognjen Jaramaz stepped up with 19 and 18 points respectively and Nick Weiler-Babb collected 15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in the win. Bayern’s defense hounded MVP Parker Jackson-Cartwright to just 4-of-19 from the field for 14 points and 6 turnovers. Bonn also had Javontae Hawkins score 13 points and both Tyson Ward and Saulius Kulvietis had 10 points in the defeat.
German quartet guides Berlin to 2-0 lead over Ludwigsburg
Two-time reigning champions ALBA BERLIN need just one win for a fifth straight trip to the easyCredit BBL Finals as they eased past MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 100-76 at home for a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five series. Berlin began taking control in the second quarter, building a 16-point lead and the game was never close in the second half for their 16th straight win. Berlin dished out 29 assists in scoring 100 points for the third time in five playoff games while making 29-of-35 free throws compared to 9-of-11 for Ludwigsburg, who made just 32.1 percent from long range. Louis Olinde hit 5 three-points in scoring 24 points and Johannes Thiemann scored 22 points, including 13-of-16 free throws for Berlin, who also had Oscar da Silva score 14 poitns and Maodo Lo chip in 10 points. Jonah Radebaugh tallied 18 points as Ludwigsburg’s leading scorer with James Woodard scoring 14 points and Tremmell Darden picking up 13 points. Game 3 will take place on Friday June 3 in Ludwigsburg, where the hosts hope to stay alive in the series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAUbEEeWTOQ
Berlin strike late to defend home court in Game 1
ALBA BERLIN have not lost in their last 15 games as they struck late to knock off MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 89-84 and defend home court in Game 1 of their best-of-five series. Neither team could pull away with Berlin opening a nine-point lead midway through the third quarter. Ludwigsburg led midway through the final frame but Jaleen Smith drained two three-pointers and Tamir Blatt also hit from deep for an eight-point lead with less than a minute to play. Berlin dominated the glass 48-29 including 20 offensive rebounds while making 22-of-28 free throws to 2-of-6 for Ludwigsburg, who could not take advantage of draining 14 triples. Maodo Lo led the way for Berlin with 20 points while Smith finished with 18 points, Oscar da Silva scored 13 points and Luke Sikma collected 8 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists. Jordan Hulls paced Ludwigsburg with 26 points on 6 three-pointers while James Woodard also had 6 triples for 24 points and Tremmell Darden added 15 points.
Player(s) of the Week(s)
TheTwo rounds of semi-finals games meant two Player of the Week winners. The top player for Game 1 was James Woodard from MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg, who poured in 24 pts on 9-of-12 shooting including 6-of-8 three-pointers plus 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals for an efficiency of 29 in a loss to ALBA BERLIN. For Game 2, Louis Olinde takes the honors for his masterful shooting for Berlin against Ludwigsburg, socring 24 points on 8-of-9 shots (5/6 three-pointers) and 3-of-3 free throws to go with 5 rebounds and 1 assist for an efficiency of 28.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Maodo Lo, ALBA BERLIN
Lo played two excellent games to help Berlin take a 2-0 lead over MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg. In Game 1, he had 20 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists and then collected 10 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists in the second game.
G: Karsten Tadda, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Tadda couldn’t help Bonn drop two games at home against FC Bayern Munich. In the first game he had 6 points and 1 rebounds and then stepped up with 16 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists and 1 steal in Game 2.
G: Andi Obst, FC Bayern Munich
Obst only played 11 minutes in Game 1 against Telekom Baskets Bonn though he picked up 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist. He shined in Game 2 with 17 points including 4 three-pointers, 4 rebounds and 1 assist.
F: Louis Olinde, ALBA BELIN
Olinde played a minor role in Game 1 with 2 points, 2 rebounds and 1 block in just 7 minutes against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg. But he exploded in Game 2 for 24 points with 5 three-pointers, 5 rebounds and 1 assist.
C: Johannes Thiemann, ALBA BERLIN
Berlin end up with three players in the Top Five with Thiemann as well. The big man had 5 points and 6 rebounds in 13 mintues in Game 1 against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg. And then he stepped up with 22 points - including 13-of-16 free throws, 6 rebounds 1 assist and 1 steal in Game 2.
Calles, Oldenburg agree to three-year deal as new playcaller
EWE Baskets Oldenburg have a new head coach as they agreed to a three-year contract with Spanish playcaller Pedro Calles, who left Hamburg Towers after his second season. Calles, who guided Hamburg to the playoffs in both of his campaigns there, will be replacing Ingo Freyer after the club decided to not keep the coach after he saved them from relegation last season.
Hollatz leaves hometown Hamburg for Breogan in Spain
Justus Hollatz will be taking the next step in his development as he is leaving his hometown club Hamburg Towers and signed a one-year deal with Spanish top flight side CB Breogan. The 21-year-old Hollatz, who won the league’s Best German Youth (U22) Award, played 47 games this season for Hamburg and averaged 7.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
Hamburg add Villmeter in new development position
Hamburg Towers took a step in their push to become a leading club in German basketball as they added Fabian Villmeter as Director Basketball Operations and Development. The 41-year-old former German youth national team coach fills the newly-created position, which has the goal of helping youngsters make the jump from junior to senior level players.
Heidelberg add athletic center Griffin
MLP Academics Heidelberg signed their first new player from abroad for next season as they gave Bryan Griffin a one-year contract. The 24-year-old Griffin, known for his big blocks and dunks, averaged 15.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks last season for Finnish first division side Salon Vilpas Vikings.
Göttingen give ex-Ulm farmhand Pape two-year deal
BG Göttingen made their first addition for next season as they gave German forward Till Pape a two-year contract. The 24-year-old Pape played the last three seasons with second division side VfL Kirchheim Knights, collecting 13.9 points and 5.8 rebounds last season while hitting 38 percent from long range. Pape came up in the Padeborn Baskets youth ranks before joining ratiopharm ulm and played 27 games in the easyCredit BBL.
Woltmann returns to Bamberg as assistant coach
Brose Bamberg will have a familar face back on the sidelines as assistant coach as Arne Woltmann agreed to join Oren Amiel’s coaching staff. The 48-year-old Woltmann signed for two seasons with the nine-time German champions, where he served as assistant coach from 2008 to 2014 and celebrated four league crowns and three cup titles under Chris Fleming.
Germans Abroad
After seeing Tibor Pleiss back-to-back Turkish Airlines EuroLeague crowns, a German player could also win the NBA Finals as the Boston Celtics and Daniel Theis defeated the Miami Heat 4-3 in their Eastern Conference Finals. Theis joins Detlef Schremp and Dirk Nowitzki as the third German player to reach the NBA Finals. Boston and Theis, who collected 15 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists in 46 minutes over four games against Miami, will take on the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals starting on Thursday.
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Nachberichte
82:81 gegen Bonn / München fehlt noch ein Sieg zum Finale
Pfiff der Woche
Berlin gegen Ludwigsburg: Zoosman, Koumadje und die Frage, wann der Ball wie vom Ring getippt werden darf?
On the Road
