The cup victory gives the basketball players of Alba Berlin a lot of self-confidence and composure for the rest of the season. For coach Israel Gonzalez the triumph is a very special one.
Alba’s cup heroes had the tap set up right in the dressing room. After the record-breaking victory in the national cup competition against Crailsheim, Berlin’s basketball players started their party in the arena at Ostbahnhof and showered coach Israel Gonzalez with beer. “I couldn’t be prouder of these guys,” said the Spanish coach, who stepped out of the shadow of predecessor and coaching legend Aito Garcia Reneses with his first title as head coach.
Managing director Marco Baldi just managed to sneak out of the dressing room, otherwise the beer shower of the blissful Alba pros would have hit him too. Alba’s man of action, however, also enjoyed the eleventh cup victory. “We always wanted to be a top team with sustainability. For 30 years, we have always been good for at least one final and that makes us proud,” said Baldi.
The fact that the Berliners have now already won the first trophy of the season in February gives them a lot of security and self-confidence for the rest of the season. “It’s always good to have won a title so early in the season,” said national player Johannes Thiemann. “It has already been a good season. That gives an incredible amount of strength for the tasks ahead. “
Alba with the same record as league leader Bayern in the BBL
First and foremost in the league, the Albatrosse want to defend their title from last year. Currently, the Berliners have the same record as league leader and long-term rival Bayern Munich with five defeats. However, as fifth in the table, the Berliners still have two catch-up games to play because they were stopped by a Corona outbreak at the beginning of the season.
The way the Capitals have fought their way out of this difficult phase is impressive. At the weekend, too, they were initially well behind in both the semi-final against Chemnitz and the final against Hakro Merlins Crailsheim, but fought their way back and deservedly lifted the 5.2-kilogram trophy in the end.
Maodo Lo was again the guarantor of victory
A main guarantor for the success was once again Maodo Lo. The 29-year-old point guard has been in excellent form for weeks and was the best scorer against the strong Crailsheim team with 20 points. Especially in the final phase, in which the Merlins, who never gave up, came as close as three points, Lo kept an overview and calm.
“Winning a title is always something special,” Lo explained, first wiping over his medal. “There are already a few stains on it, but I want it to stay clean,” said the national player after the first scenes of jubilation with the fans on “Magenta Sport”. The fact that at least 4000 spectators were allowed to be present in the hall rounded off the perfect weekend for the Berliners. “The weekend with fans was so refreshing. The atmosphere was unbelievable,” said the point guard. If the Berliners have their way, there will be the next party with the supporters in mid-June. If the championship title is successfully defended.
