Once again Alba rejoice: For the third time in a row the Berliners win the national championship. The duel between the basketball heavyweights and the Bavarians ends with a one-sided fourth game.
Alba Berlin has stormed impressively to its eleventh title in the Basketball Bundesliga and made the double perfect in the permanent duel with FC Bayern. Coach Israel Gonzalez’s team won 96-81 (52-36) in the Munich heat on Sunday, thus deciding the finals series in their favour with 3-1 victories. It was the third championship in a row for the Berliners, who won 20 of their last 21 games to end the season and thus earned the next national trophy.
Jaleen Smith was the visitors’ best scorer with 23 points, their title party starting with the final siren. Alba had already taken the trophy in Munich in 2020 (championship tournament due to Corona pandemic) and 2021 (final four), this hat-trick in front of 5469 spectators should please Maodo Lo and Co. especially. Augustine Rubit (15) was the most successful for the Bavarians, who became increasingly tired in the final. “I’m satisfied, but next year it has to be more,” said president Herbert Hainer when asked about Bayern’s title-less season.
Surprisingly many empty seats
The hall at Munich’s Westpark was boiling – literally. With outside temperatures of 35 degrees, players, coaches and fans also worked up a sweat inside the hall. And in view of the attractive outdoor alternatives in midsummer weather, surprisingly many seats remained empty for a fourth final.
In sporting terms, Alba started strongly just 42 hours after the end of the devastating 60:90 on Friday night. The inclusion of national player Johannes Thiemann in the starting line-up proved to be the right move, the determined visitors quickly led 13:2. Bayern coach Andrea Trinchieri first fidgeted hectically and nervously on the sidelines, then in his first time-out he looked at a loss.
Bayern failures weigh too heavily
“In the last game, everything was somehow set. And we played against an opponent who has high quality and also had their backs to the wall. Now the question is how to deal with it mentally,” said Alba manager Marco Baldi before the start of the game. Alba dealt with it in a very strong manner, acted with concentration and determination – in addition, the accuracy from the outside was right. A trio around Thiemann gave Berlin a nine-point lead after ten minutes.
Trinchieri, on the other hand, wanted to find “a cocoon” to give his once again weakened team some energy. But at the end of an XXL season, nothing more wanted to succeed. 50:50 balls ended up with Alba again and again, the guests moved better and thus created good throwing positions. Bayern was already behind by more than 20 points before half-time, the losses of Darrun Hilliard, Corey Walden and Vladmir Lucic weighed heavily. When 2.24-metre giant Christ Koumadje managed three dunks in a row, Bayern looked broken.
Thiemann is Finals MVP
Not much changed after the change of ends. Bayern played haplessly, Alba gradually extended their lead and were allowed to look forward to the next silver trophy early on. When Tamir Blatt scored a three-pointer midway through the third quarter to give Alba a 24-point lead, the game was finally decided. The Bavarians fought their way back in the final quarter, but it was not enough to turn the game around.
Johannes Thiemann was voted the most valuable player of the final series. The 28-year-old German international was chosen by journalists, as announced by the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) on Sunday after the fourth final in Munich.