Telekom Baskets Bonn have been in the final of the German Basketball Championship five times, but failed to win the title five times. But it could finally work out this year – even if the start against Ulm went awry.
The Bonn team around league MVP TJ Shorts was bursting with self-confidence before the final series. After all, they haven’t lost at home in the current Bundesliga season and recently won the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. Things also went smoothly in the quarter and semi-finals of the playoffs with two 3-0 victories against Chemnitz and Ludwigsburg.
But the title ambitions of the Baskets received a first damper on Friday evening. After 25 league wins in a row, Bonn lost their home game against ratiopharm Ulm 73:79 (35:42) and are now 0:1 behind in the best-of-seven series.
UIm makes life difficult for Bonn
Are the people of Bonn running out of breath on the home straight? This question can be answered with a clear “no”. In front of 6,000 spectators, the Rhinelanders fought an incredibly intense duel with the guests from southern Germany, who seamlessly continued their strong performances from the previous playoffs. With an aggressive defense, Ulm impressed the hosts, who found it difficult to find their usual rhythm.
In the meantime, Bonn was eleven points behind, but then fought back and even had several chances to take the lead. “In the second half we managed to equalize several times, but never really got over the hill. Then you lose a game like that quickly,” said the injured captain Karsten Tadda.
“If you don’t score, you can’t win”
But what, if not tiredness, was the reason for the surprising home defeat? “I think there was a bit of nervousness involved,” analyzed Tadda. This was particularly evident in the weak throw rate. Especially from a distance, the throws of TJ Shorts and Co. did not want to fall as usual this time. “Sometimes basketball is a ‘make-or-miss-game’ and our 24 percent hit rate from the line of three is of course difficult to compensate against Ulm’s 39 percent,” said Baskets coach Tuomas Iisalo. Put simply: “If you don’t hit, you can’t win.”
But it wasn’t Bonn’s only problem that evening. “We were always a step too late today. That didn’t happen to us that often this year,” said Ilsao on “MagentaSport”. In addition, the Champions League winner made 16 turnovers – and thus significantly more than the opponent.
Fans as encouragers
Nevertheless, the Rhinelanders were celebrated as if they had won. And that is exactly what should encourage them, because the second game of the final series will also take place in Bonn. Throw-in is at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Until then, Ilsao has a clear plan: “Now we’ll analyze the game and then win game two.” The Baskets coach says he doesn’t feel any extra pressure because of the defeat at the start: “We want to enjoy it here. We’re not in this situation every year. The boys are very focused.”
Should the championship title actually jump out for Bonn in the end, that would be an absolute novelty. Because no German club has ever managed a double of national championship and international title. But now the Baskets have to prove that the defeat on Friday against Ulm was just a slip-up.