Basketball Bundesliga defending champion Ulm eliminated in the playoffs
The dream of defending the championship has been shattered early for captain Thomas Klepeisz and ratiopharm Ulm. Photo
© Stefan Puchner/dpa
Pack formation, injuries and provocations: The basketball series between Würzburg and Ulm is in full swing. The champions are eliminated early after a thriller.
The German basketball champion Ratiopharm Ulm was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Bundesliga playoffs and missed the chance to defend its title after a thriller. In the last game under champion coach Anton Gavel, the Ulm team lost narrowly 72:75 (31:36) to the Würzburg Baskets.
In the best-of-five series, the favorite lost 1:3. In the semifinals, Würzburg will face either FC Bayern Munich or the MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg.
In front of 3,140 spectators, the Franconians turned a three-point deficit in the last minute. Isaiah Washington converted the decisive free throws 10.3 seconds before the end. In the absence of injured top player Otis Livingston II, who will also miss the semifinals due to a torn medial ligament, Zachary Seljaas was Würzburg’s best scorer with 19 points.
Karim Jallow (15) was the most successful player for Ulm, who sensationally became champions last year after beating FC Bayern, Alba Berlin and Telekom Baskets Bonn. Before Würzburg, Alba and the Niners Chemnitz had already made it to the semifinals.
The Würzburg-Ulm series was marked by injuries, hard fouls and some verbal taunts. Things were rough on Friday evening too. Ulm took the lead in the final quarter but couldn’t hold on to it. After the upheaval after the championship title, championship coach Gavel is also leaving, heading to his former club Bamberg Baskets. The former professional is supposed to get the nine-time champions back on track after missing the playoffs. Ty Harrelson, who comes from Rasta Vechta, will follow in Ulm.
dpa
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