When there were just under eight minutes left to play in the basketball classic between Alba Berlin and Bayern Munich, many thought the game was over. Xavier Rathan-Mayes hit a three-pointer from the corner to make it 55:46. The Munich team, who were previously unbeaten in the Bundesliga, only had to manage the game and score a few times; they had driven Berlin into a corner. But what came next left the 12,189 spectators in Berlin’s Uber Arena a little speechless. Bayern simply stopped scoring and only managed to score six points in the remaining minutes. And the Berliners benefited from the guests’ many ball losses and other sloppiness. They initially took a 56:55 lead through a 10-0 series. In the end they won the game 67:61 (35:38). For Berlin it was only the second win in the fourth league game, for Bayern it was their first defeat on the national stage after three league wins and one cup success.
It was the next defeat for the German champions after Friday’s massive 71:96 defeat in the Euroleague against Olympiacos Piraeus, and the third defeat in the last four games. But this time it was avoidable. “We defended well for 37 minutes. And seven or eight minutes before the end we were nine points ahead and had chances to extend that. But then we lost the ball and made mistakes, that gave them the momentum,” says Bayern coach Gordon Herbert, whose qualities as a mental coach are now also in demand.
Because against Piraeus and against Berlin, 18 ball losses each were a key factor in the defeats. Such a rate is abysmal for a top club, but at the same time it shows that the team is far from being well-coordinated, the routes have not yet been rehearsed, and there are too many misunderstandings. And what’s more, the freshness and speed in the head is missing.
The Berliners, who had to cope with the departure of top scorer Boogie Ellis to Abu Dhabi after just six games of the season, were able to rely on 18-year-old young center Nevio Bennefeld, who was the best thrower of the game after the first two quarters. Bayern still went into the locker room with a 38:35 lead, also because their signing Justinian Jessup (16 points) had a good day. They extended the lead, then Rathan-Mayes hit his three-pointer. And everyone thought the game was over.
