The basketball tournament title - Even after winning the championship, Alba believes Bayern is not too impressed.
Despite claiming a victory away to FC Bayern, Alba Berlin remain adamant about not relishing the favorite role as they prepare for the final series of the Basketball Bundesliga. On Monday night, the Berliners defeated their Munich counterparts 79-70 in Munich, leaving them with two home games against their fierce rivals. Alba's coach Israel Gonzalez was quick to downplay any suggestion that his side had seized the psychological advantage, saying, "No, absolutely not," when asked if the 1:1 tie had shifted the balance of power.
Upcoming games take place on Wednesday (8:30 pm) and Friday (6:00 pm/both Dyn) at the Berlin Uber Arena. The winner of these encounters will be crowned champions, with the same opportunity available to Bayern. Alba's sports director Himar Ojeda cautioned against placing too much weight on the home advantage, noting: "Honestly, I've been with Alba for eight years. To be honest, they've beaten us most of the time in our hall. I don't expect them to be particularly impressed by playing away."
In the last eight years, the two sides have met 16 times at the Berlin Ostbahnhof, with Bayern triumphing ten times. Throughout the years, Bayern have won at least once when playing away in each of the five playoff series between the two teams.
Bayern aim to achieve a notable away victory to signal their continued belief in their chances. In the second game, errors from beyond the three-point line and repeated rebounds granted to the opposition took their toll. Bayern's former NBA standouts and top scorers, Matt Thomas (21 points) and Sterling Brown (17), could not be tamed.
The upset from the previous match should not linger in Bayern's minds for long, as they look ahead to the next challenge. "No matter who we play, we always believe in our chance," asserted Bayern's point guard Nick Weiler-Babb when speaking to broadcaster Dyn. "That's how we'll approach it, no matter how this game here ended."
