Gianmarco Pozzecco pleaded, cursed and waved his arms. The Italian is well versed in drama, as we have known in this country since his appearances as Italian national coach at the European Basketball Championships in Germany. But it didn’t help, the referees’ decision stood: offensive foul by Villeurbanne’s Joffrey Lauvergne, two free throws for Niels Giffey, as the game clock still showed 1.2 seconds. The German national player rejected the first attempt in the shrill concert of whistles, the second was a 101:100 success in the Euroleague after two extra periods. With this, FC Bayern Asvel Villeurbanne spoiled the opening party in the brand new arena in Lyon in front of 11,354 spectators.
For the guests, it was an indication of the further development they so desperately desired, because until now such close games had always been lost; no matter whether in the Euroleague like against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Belgrade (90:93) or in Kaunas (73:74), or in the Bundesliga in Braunschweig (81:83) or Bonn (83:88, after extra time). “It was good for us that we were able to win this tough away game, that will give us self-confidence,” said Giffey. “The feeling of being able to win even the tightest games is important. This is a good step for us, also in the table.” In this, Bayern are now in 14th position with four wins and six defeats, one win behind the targeted playoff places.
Obst and Bolmaro leave the field injured in Lyon
Coach Pablo Laso again had to deal with 15 ball losses, more than twice as many as the opponent. After all, the Munich team around top scorer Devin Booker (16 points) and Serge Ibaka (14) dominated the game under the baskets and largely made up for the slight ball losses with a total of 49 rebounds. Laso was of course satisfied despite all the shortcomings: “My players fought brilliantly until the end. You need that spirit. We had already won the game a few times and lost a few times.”
In fact: First, playmaker Leandro Bolmaro, who like Booker collected 16 points, brought his team into the first overtime with a converted free throw to make it 74:74. Then Nick Weiler-Babb (14) made it 88:88 with a nerve-racking three-pointer: second overtime. There Sylvain Francisco (10) made it 100:100 with a three-pointer 18 seconds before the end before Giffey scored to win. The 32-year-old represents the great quality of the squad like no other. Although Giffey usually comes from the bench, he doesn’t need any start-up time and rarely makes bad decisions.
The Munich team will urgently need this breadth in the squad on Sunday (3:30 p.m.) in the difficult Bundesliga away game against the strong newcomers Rasta Vechta, because two players, Andreas Obst and Bolmaro, had to leave the field injured in Lyon. How long they will be missing is unclear, exact diagnoses are pending. The Lower Saxony team is second in the table with 6:2 wins, Munich is seventh (5:3). And Vechta won all their games at home, five times in the league and in the first round of the cup. The Bayern coach thinks it’s a good opportunity for the next step in the development process.
