Defending champion Alba Berlin started the new season of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) with a safe home win. The double winner beat the Fraport Skyliners from Frankfurt in the opening game after a dominant first half with 79:66 (49:22). Meanwhile, there was criticism after the health authorities had quarantined three game cancellations.
Michael Koch, sports director of the Giessen 46ers concerned, complained that two different standards are used in sport. “Because there were positive corona cases in football too. Even at Bayern Munich,” said the 1993 European champion on “Deutschlandfunk”: “The team was not withdrawn there, and the team was not required to be quarantined for 14 days.”
As in the cup, cancellations shaped the start of the league. On Thursday the encounters between Gießen – MBC Weißenfels and medi Bayreuth – Telekom Baskets Bonn were canceled, on Friday the duel between Hakro Merlins Crailsheim and Niners Chemnitz. Quarantine stopped Gießen, Bayreuth and the climber Chemnitz.
The BBL are now eight games behind. In the cup, five canceled matches, including three by defending champion Alba, have not yet been made up. Then there are the three games from the first BBL game day.
Alba, who has already passed the quarantine, gave the Skyliners no chance. Luke Sikma (14 points) was particularly convincing against Frankfurt, which had to isolate players during the week but ultimately had no corona cases. However, Alba made a 0-23 negative run at the end of the game. “We switched off, lost the intensity. That was very, very bad,” said international Johannes Thiemann on “Sport1”.
On Saturday ratiopharm Ulm started with a 90:77 (42:41) at s.Oliver Würzburg. The guests’ best thrower was national player Andreas Obst with 25 points.
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