Game 5, the decision! The Bavarians kept up well with the big favourites from Barcelona in the first half, but after the break the hosts pulled ahead and destroyed the Munich dream of the Final Four in the Euroleague.
The FC Bayern Munich basketball players narrowly missed the surprise in the Euroleague. A weak third quarter caused the 72:81 (37:31) defeat in the deciding game at title favourite FC Barcelona on Tuesday and the 2:3 in the best-of-five series against the Catalans. While Barcelona is in the Final Four (19/21 May in Belgrade), the Euroleague season is over for coach Andrea Trinchieri’s team.
“Huge respect to the team,” Bayern general manager Marko Pesic told Magentasport. “Of course we are disappointed that we didn’t make it. You saw today how important home advantage is.” The favoured hosts did start more concentrated than last time in Munich. However, the Bavarians were not impressed by a 2:7 (4th minute). With an 11:0 run, the Munich team turned the match around and were also ahead 19:18 at the end of the first period.
With Barca president Joan Laporta watching, both clubs missed many opportunities in the second quarter. Defence dominated on both sides until the two strong Nick Weiler-Babb and Ognjen Jaramaz gave Bayern a 37:31 lead with two successful distance throws just before the break. “Except for little things, it was alright,” said coach Trinchieri at the half-time break.
Barcelona and Mirotic turn up the heat
But Bayern couldn’t get a grip on former NBA pro Nikola Mirotic after the break. The former Chicago Bulls player, together with the scoring Italian Nicolas Laprovittola, ensured the turnaround again. On the other side, Munich’s attempts rarely found the target. Therefore, Barcelona went into the final period with an eight-point lead thanks to a 29:15 in the third quarter.
Once again Mirotic provided the first double-digit Barça lead with a three-pointer. The Bavarians did not recover from this, while the Spaniards were able to show their class. The best scorer for the Munich team was Othello Hunter with 18 points. The outstanding Laprovittola (26 points) and Mirotic (20) scored the most points for Barcelona.
FC Barcelona – Bayern Munich 81:72 (31:37)
Best scorers for Barcelona: Laprovittola (26), Mirotic (20), Calathes (10).
Best throwers for Munich: Hunter (18), Jaramaz (17), Weiler-Babb (10)
Play-off final score: 3:2
