Basketball: Parallel to the original. - A single victory away from clinching the championship, Bayern aims for a celebration in Berlin.
The Bayern Munich basketball team is not looking forward to their next home game. The champions, who won their second game in the final series against Alba Berlin earlier this week, want to complete the championship title against their arch-rivals.
When asked if he'd prefer to celebrate the title in a fifth game in Munich or the next game in the capital, Bayern's lead coach Pablo Laso replied, "In Berlin."
The team will have to push themselves to their limits again on Friday (6:00 pm). "It's all starting over again," says Andreas Obst, Bayern's world champion and top scorer of the Munich team. "We'll have to be hungry and prepared," Obst added, as they prepare for the fourth final match between the two German Euroleague teams. "We must never overlook Alba," he cautioned, referring to their 2-2 status. "Game two should be a lesson. It's about willpower, not playing pretty basketball."
Bayern remained stable in the final minutes in the last game but seemed to have lost some of their focus; they were beaten in the second game of the final series. However, they held their ground in the second half of the match, with Alba bringing their lead back to just 10 points. "That's a great compliment to my players; they were mentally very strong," Laso praised.
Laso has a chance to win a double this weekend. While his first season in Germany has had its challenges, he can lead the Bayern team to victory in the playoffs. However, the team has not fully utilized their incredible potential, despite having many talented players.
On Wednesday, Bayern missed their creative game against a determined Alba team. Serge Ibaka, the ex-NBA star, had a disappointing performance, and it was the national players Obst and Nick Weiler-Babb who kept Bayern in the game. The visitors faced challenges without their best point guard and had an injured Johannes Thiemann, who was only able to play at half strength. The Berlin team also had an advantage in a controversial referee decision that rewarded them with critical points in the final minutes.
Although they lost, the Alba team will not back down. "Of course, setbacks are nerve-wracking. But personnel issues don't matter in our locker room right now. We'll be ready again on Friday," said Matt Thomas.
"Nothing is too different," said Alba's Jonas Mattisseck. "We still need two more wins. And we want to win the first one on Friday," he said, unlike Laso, who would be content with a game in Berlin. "I've been to Munich so often, it's not an issue," Mattisseck concluded.
