The German champions Alba Berlin and the Merlins Crailsheim are in the final of the German Basketball Cup.
Alba is just one win away from the record-breaking cup title. The Berliners won 91:81 (41:39) against Niners Chemnitz in the semi-finals of the Basketball Bundesliga’s Top Four on Saturday and will be fighting for their eleventh national cup success on Sunday. So far, Alba have won the BBL Cup ten times, just like Bayer Leverkusen.
In the final, the capitals will meet the Hakro Merlins Crailsheim. The Swabians prevailed in the first semi-final against the Basketball Löwen Braunschweig with 85:71 (46:36). Best Berlin scorers against Chemnitz were Maodo Lo and Jaleen Smith with 19 points each. Most recently, Alba won clearly against Crailsheim in the league with 106:74. “That doesn’t mean anything. Tomorrow is cup time, both teams want to win,” Smith said on “Magenta Sport”.
Chemnitz showed no respect for the favourites right from the start. The surprise team of the season so far started courageously and surprised the Berliners with aggressive and variable play. The Niners won the first quarter with 31:23, at the beginning of the second period the Chemnitz lead was even ten points.
Alba seemed quite impressed and had a hard time. Also because Lo and Luke Sikma, the two stars of the Berlin team, did not find their way into the game. That changed towards the end of the second quarter. Lo, who has been in top form for weeks, now took command and led Alba on an 11:0 run. At the break, the capitals led 41:39, although Chemnitz had played an impressive first half. “The second quarter was decisive because we only allowed eight points there,” Lo said.
After the break, Alba continuously extended its lead. In the meantime, the Euroleague team led by 13 points. But the Chemnitz team, who had often proved their comeback qualities this season, did not let themselves be shaken off and came back to within five points in the final period (68:73). But Lo and Smith halted the comeback of the perky underdogs, who had beaten defending champions Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.
Weidemann: “We got robbed today “
The frustration of the Chemnitz players was great afterwards. “We were robbed today,” said point guard Nelson Weidemann. At times it felt like “eight against five” on the floor, said the 22-year-old, apparently referring to the referees, who in his opinion whistled one-sidedly. “But you always see each other twice in life.”
In the first semi-final, Crailsheim had prevailed over Braunschweig thanks to a strong last quarter. The best scorer for the Merlins was T.J. Shorts with 26 points, while David Krämer scored 25 for the Lions. “This is a huge thing for us,” said Crailsheim coach Sebastian Gleim after the game on “Magenta Sport”. The outstanding Shorts was also overjoyed. “This means everything to us. You play to win titles and we have that chance now.” Braunschweig’s Krämer was proud of his team despite the defeat. “We gave everything. It was a great fight,” said the international.
