The focus of the news is basketball. - Alba remains modest after their BBL victory in Bavaria: "We're still here"
Alba Berlin is careful not to make any bold predictions. Their 79:70 victory against FC Bayern in the Bundesliga basketball finals filled them with pride and satisfaction. The team is looking forward to the upcoming two games at the Spree, where they could potentially become champions in front of their home crowd. They have no intention of claiming the favorites' role, as coach Israel Gonzalez emphasized. He instead reminded them of the difficulty of game three on Wednesday: "Bayern has some incredible players and an incredible coach."
It's not advisable to make bold predictions due to Berlin's fortunate shot-missing by Bayern, especially from world champion and European shooter, Andreas Obst. "We were lucky with Bayern's shooting," Alba sports director Himar Ojeda acknowledged.
Another factor that Gonzalez points out is that Berlin has played more than 80 games this season, and several key players are sidelined due to injuries. "We've managed to gather all our strength once more," Ojeda remarked, comparing the team to a battered boxer still standing in the ring. "We're not just aiming to avoid losing points but also fighting back. I'm very proud."
The team captain Johannes Thiemann, who was initially sidelined due to a painful knee injury, managed to join the second game of the finals despite the discomfort. "I wanted to play a couple of minutes to give my teammates a break, but of course, I'm not at 100%," he shared with Dyn. Sports director Ojeda added that Thiemann is in considerable pain.
Given all these challenges, the series between the top two German clubs remains wide open. And with the home advantage for Alba, it's a given. "I've been with Alba for eight years," Ojeda remembered. "Honestly, Bayern has beaten us more often than not in our home arena. I don't expect them to be particularly impressed with playing away. I expect the best Bayern yet."
Ojeda's memory is accurate: since his arrival in Berlin in 2016, there have been 16 games at the Berlin Ostbahnhof, and Bayern has won ten of them. In the five playoff series they played from 2017 to 2022, Bayern secured a victory in each series away.
Bayern needs to step up to celebrate in the away game this time. Coach Laso simply stated, "We must make our shots." They also need to improve on their defense, as Bayern's former NBA players and top scorers, Matt Thomas (21 points) and Sterling Brown (17), couldn't be stopped in the Berlin win on Monday. Francisco, a Bayern player, admitted, "They were hungrier than us."
Despite being title-hungry for the past four years, Bayern retains an air of optimism and self-confidence, typical of FC Bayern. Weiler-Babb, a reserve player, said, "No matter who we play against, we still believe in our chances."
