Alba cheers again! For the third time in a row, the Berliners win the national championship. The duel between the basketball heavyweights and Bayern ends in a one-sided fourth game.
After the next title coup in Munich, Alba Berlin’s master coach Israel González was briefly carried through the Audi Dome. Then captain Luke Sikma proudly raised the trophy in the air, Berlin’s basketball players danced around exuberantly in the confetti rain.
With an impressive demonstration of power, Alba made the German championship perfect for the third time in a row in the arena of permanent rival Bayern Munich. Alba had already received the trophy in Munich in 2020 (championship tournament due to the corona pandemic) and 2021 (final game four), Maodo Lo and Co. should particularly like this hat-trick.
The Berliners won 96:81 (52:36) in the heat of Munich and thus decided the final series with 3:1 victories. Alba won 20 of the last 21 games at the end of the season and thus earned the next national trophy. At the same time, the Berliners made the double perfect. In February, Berlin had already won the national cup.
“Now we will definitely celebrate”
“It’s just super cool. We will celebrate appropriately,” said Berlin’s Oscar da Silva. “It’s incredible how we’ve played the past three years,” said Albas Johannes Thiemann, who was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the final series. “We just played great together as a team. We’re definitely going to celebrate now.”
Coach González was extremely proud of his players. “The key was how we worked every day. We just have great team chemistry. They enjoy what they do and work hard,” said the Spaniard. Bayern’s Nick Weiler-Babb acknowledged Berlin’s dominance. “They played an incredible series and played great as a team.”
With 23 points, Jaleen Smith was the best thrower of the guests, whose title party began with the final siren. Augustine Rubit (15) was the most successful for Bayern, who were becoming increasingly tired in the final. “I’m satisfied, but there must be more next year,” said President Herbert Hainer when asked about Bayern’s untitled season.
Alba got off to a strong start
The hall at Munich’s Westpark was boiling – in the truest sense of the word. With outside temperatures of 35 degrees, players, coaches and fans also worked up a sweat indoors. And in view of the attractive outdoor alternatives in midsummer weather, a surprising number of seats remained empty for a fourth final.
In terms of sport, Alba got off to a strong start only 42 hours after the devastating 60:90. The inclusion of national player Thiemann in the starting line-up proved to be correct, the goal-oriented guests quickly led 13:2. Bayern coach Andrea Trinchieri fidgeted frantically and nervously on the sidelines, then he seemed directly at a loss during his first break.
Bayern didn’t want to succeed anymore
Alba seemed to have simply ignored the clear defeat on Friday, acted in a concentrated and determined manner – the accuracy from the outside was also right. Trinchieri, on the other hand, wanted to find “a cocoon” to give his weakened team some more energy. But at the end of an XXL season, nothing wanted to succeed anymore, the failures of Darrun Hilliard, Corey Walden and Vladmir Lucic weighed heavily.
Not much changed after the change of sides. Bayern played without luck, Alba gradually increased the lead and was able to look forward to the next silver trophy early on. When Tamir Blatt put Alba 24 points ahead with a three in the middle of the third quarter, the game was finally decided. Although Bayern fought back in the final quarter, it wasn’t enough at the turnaround.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
