The basketball players of FC Bayern Munich just missed the surprise in the Euroleague.
A weak third quarter resulted in the 72:81 (37:31) defeat in the decider at title favorites FC Barcelona and the 2:3 in the best-of-five series against the Catalans. While Barcelona are in the Final Four (May 19/21 in Belgrade), the Euroleague season is over for coach Andrea Trinchieri’s team.
Pesic: “Huge respect to the team”
“Huge respect for the team,” said Bayern Managing Director Marko Pesic at Magentasport. “Of course we are disappointed that we didn’t make it. You saw today how important home advantage is.”
The favored hosts started more concentrated than last time in Munich. However, Bayern were not impressed by a 2:7 (4th minute). With an 11:0 run, the Munich team turned the match around and were still ahead 19:18 after the end of the first round.
Before the eyes of Barca President Joan Laporta, both clubs missed many opportunities in the second quarter. Defense dominated on both sides until the two strong players Nick Weiler-Babb and Ognjen Jaramaz put Bayern ahead 37:31 with two successful long-range shots shortly before the break. “Except for a few things, that was fine,” said coach Trinchieri at half-time.
Mirotic turns things around
But Bayern couldn’t get a grip on former NBA professional Nikola Mirotic after the break. The former Chicago Bulls player, together with the accurate Italian Nicolas Laprovittola, ensured the turnaround again. On the other hand, the Munich attempts rarely found the target. Therefore, thanks to a 29:15 in the third quarter, Barcelona went into the final period with an eight-point lead.
Once again Mirotic then provided the first double-digit Barca lead with a three-point throw. The Bavarians never recovered from this, while the Spaniards were able to demonstrate their class. The best shooter for Munich was Othello Hunter with 18 points. The outstanding Laprovittola (26 points) and Mirotic (20) scored the most points for Barcelona.
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