Mith FC Bayern Munich, the Ulm basketball pros surprisingly knocked out the next favorite in the Bundesliga play-offs. The seventh-placed in the main round also won the third semi-final game on Friday against the title contenders from Munich after extra time 104:102 (92:92, 46:43) and clearly won the best-of-five series 3:0.
Ulm already beat defending champion Alba Berlin 3-1 in the quarter-finals. Opponents in the final are Telekom Baskets Bonn and MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg. Bonn leads 2-0 after two games. Despite the cup victory, a disappointing season ended for Bayern. “It hurts,” said national player Niels Giffey at Magentasport. Bayern coach Andrea Trinchieri said after the game: “I think it was my last game of my time at Bayern.” Trinchieri came to the Isar in 2020 and won the cup in 2021 and 2023. In addition, he was the first German club to reach the playoffs in the Euroleague in 2021 and 2022 with the Munich team. The Spaniard Pablo Laso was last traded as the successor. The 55-year-old coached Real Madrid until 2022 before suffering a heart attack in June last year and leaving the club after eleven years in the Spanish capital.
Strong third quarter
As with the performances in Munich, the hosts got off to a very good start. Coach Anton Gavel’s team quickly led by 22:13 (5th minute). Bayern really came into play in the second quarter. Coach Andrea Trinchieri’s team was able to reduce the lead to at least 43:46 before the break.
A strong third quarter (28:19) ensured the actual preliminary decision in favor of Ulm. The Gavel team went into the final round with a score of 74:62. The disappointing Munich team didn’t find any answers at all for a long time and remained without a point for more than four and a half minutes. The gap grew to 16 points (64:80/35.).
Thanks to a sure-footed national player Andreas Obst, Bayern could still hope for their first semi-final win, while Ulm showed nerves and finished far too hastily. Obst hit a three-point shot to make it 86:87 (38 ‘), Cassius Winston then scored immediately afterwards to give Bayern the lead for the first time (88:87). Ulm saved himself in overtime with a successful long-range shot by Brandon Paul to make it 92:92.
In the extra time, a furious top scorer Bruno Caboclo ensured that Ulm quickly took the lead by 98:92 (43rd). Again it was Obst who brought Munich back (99:101/45.). But the Swabians didn’t let themselves be denied the first final since 2016 because Obst didn’t score from a distance in the final second.
