NAfter the first defeat of the season in the basketball Bundesliga, Alba Berlin tried to keep calm. “We’re still a good team. The commitment that we operate is correct. But there may also be a lack of luck, »said coach Israel Gonzalez after the narrow 95:96 defeat at BG Göttingen on Sunday.
And yet Alba is conceding more defeats than they would like. In the Euroleague there were even seven bankruptcies in a row. Too many players are currently looking for form. Especially the national players Johannes Thiemann and Maodo Lo, who returned after their injuries. “It’s incredibly difficult in such a tight game to do what the team needs and at the same time get in yourself,” said manager Marco Baldi.
The team is currently struggling to find its rhythm. The tight schedule takes its toll on the decimated squad. It lacks the necessary freshness. “In the end we just didn’t have the energy. Mentally and physically we are not in good shape at the moment, »said Gonzalez. This is particularly evident in the free throw rate. It was weak in the past games – also against Göttingen. “It was underground. That shouldn’t happen to us in such a tight game,” said Thiemann.
Already next Sunday Alba has the chance to take revenge. Then the Berliners have to compete again in Göttingen in the quarter-finals of the BBL Cup. “Then we have to play more concentrated,” demanded Thiemann. However, much more fresh energy is not to be expected. Because before that, on Thursday in the Euroleague, there is still a home game against the top team from FC Barcelona. “That’s why we have to recover mentally now,” Gonzalez said.
