The eyes of European basketball turn to Berlin in a few days for the Euroleague Final Four. Before all that, there’s the small matter of the city’s pride and joy Alba Berlin looking to go deep in the Basketball Bundesliga playoffs. Emmet Ryan took in the sights and sounds from the Max Schmeling Halle as Alba hosted Telekom Baskets Bonn.
Love is something you know is healthy and good for you even when your eyes occasionally try to convince you it’s not. For Alba Berlin fans, love has mattered a lot this season. Their Euroleague form wasn’t great but they rallied, time and again, in the Basketball Bundesliga. Mit Leib und Seele is their motto after all.
It’s obviously a different level of competition but it’s still the one relationship. Having lived through so many rough days this season, Game 2 against Telekom Baskets Bonn gave them a chance to expect a good one and more good ones to come. They could feel it in their souls.
You can see the effort
Alba Berlin had to play this game in their alternate home, the Max Schmeling Halle because the Uber Arena, their usual home, is already being repurposed for the Euroleague Final Four.
Not that you could tell. The effort that went into making sure that this was Alba Berlin’s home was substantial. Everything from a thriving fanshop right inside the door (albeit not selling the chopping board) to signs for fans to hold being laid out on every seat in the lower bowl was about making this their place. It’s normally home to the successful handball team and even more successful volleyball team. Today, it was Alba’s house.
There was one touch, not about the look, that really stood out to me. Just to the right from the main entrance was a subtle stand. It had headphones* for fans who deal with sensory overload. The goal, to ensure the Max Schmeling Halle was as welcoming as the Uber Arena for all fans no matter their needs. That was really touching.
*While you tend to notice these more on kids, the primary purpose of these headphones is as a sensory aid.
You could also see why they needed it
That effort is lovely. It should, most definitely, be applauded. On the way in, there was a stark reminder that it was absolutely necessary. The whole route along the U Bahn, from my hotel in Alexanderplatz to the gym, was a sea of red jerseys.
Energie Cottbus were playing a crucial game against Hertha Berlin’s second team. That’s Germany’s fourth tier of football. The Regionalliga Nordost to be precise. England is the only country in Europe comparable to Germany, amongst those with large populations, when it comes to the sheer dominance of football.
In addition to this, Alba is competing with the aforementioned handball and volleyball teams along with a successful ice hockey team. That’s just in men’s sports. There are many more entertainment options than sport in this city. The Bundesliga might get me to fly from Dublin but it won’t automatically attract people who live two stops away on the extremely reliable public transit system.
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German fan culture really is something
The Telekom Baskets Bonn fans, who were parked in the upper bowl, were loud and in fine form. From over 30 minutes before the opening tip, they were barking out all kinds of chants. It’s no surprise. While commentating on their run to the Basketball Champions League title last season, I always saw sizable pockets of Bonn fans across away venues in Europe.
It’s also not a surprise based on everything I’ve experienced watching sports in this country, both in person and from a distance. With the Basketball Bundesliga, I’ve seen it with Alba Berlin before, Bamberg Baskets (formerly Brose Baskets), and Frankfurt Skyliners in person. Even FC Bayern’s fans are coming along well, considering how young* a club that is, it’s worth noting. Down the tiers, I’ve seen it with Lok Bernau. That’s Alba’s sister club and they’ve got an engaged fanbase.
Then there’s watching the Niners Chemnitz team’s supporters on their run to the FIBA Europe Cup title this season. And, most practically for me, the league I’ve seen the most of. Throughout the season I provided English language commentary for the Volleyball Bundesliga Frauen. The crowds were absolutely lit. The way German sports clubs engage their fans to build support really is a treasure.
And then there was an actual game
A clock check on the opening possession proved rather helpful for those posting on Instagram. Oh to have the energy of whoever is in the albatross mascot suit. They were jumping around and pumping fists non-stop. Except at the odd break in play when they clapped hands with as many fans as possible. Quite smartly, they got down by the courtside fans early to remind them to keep loud. They didn’t need much encouragement.
Getting to see Alba Berlin playing as the big dogs was a pleasant change. With Basketball Bundesliga not streaming in Ireland, it’s only Euroleague where I normally see them. In that competition they are game, play a fun brand of basketball, but almost inevitably playing from underneath.
Khalifa Koumadje’s early dunk was an indicator that this is not Euroleague Alba. This is an entirely different beast that was out to hurt the very will of their opponents. That being said, at times in the first their attack was a little too static. At the end of the first, the lead was 23-21.
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Even mistakes are part of the show
Things took a turn for the theatrical on one sequence as we neared the middle of the second. In simple terms, an Alba Berlin miss followed a Telekom Baskets Bonn turnover only for Bonn to turn it over again. Everyone seemed to be juggling the ball low rather than dribbling it as such. Eventually Alba scored but the bizarre sequence had the place turning heads like it was a tennis match.
A walk in the park, this was not for Alba. Johannes Thiemann was looking increasingly frustrated on defensive possessions. He clearly didn’t enjoy how little of a cushion they were putting together for themselves.
Granted, Thiemann looks like a chap who came out of the womb fully formed with a solid job in a financial services firm, a wife, two kids, and most of a sensible length mortgage paid off. His stress face is one of a dad who knows that he and those around him can do better.
These are the playoffs. They’re meant to hurt a bit in order to properly appreciate them. This, of course, is no ordinary series for Alba. The Berlin club fell at the first hurdle of the postseason a year ago. After a disappointing season in Euroleague, and a semi-final exit in the DBB Pokal, a good Basketball Bundesliga playoff run is needed. At half-time here, Alba were on the right side of a 44-40 score in their bid to go 2-0 up in the series.
Look me in the eye…
…and tell me that a club like Alba Berlin isn’t good for European basketball. Granted, the model club term gets over used but it’s more than just good governance. This is a proper club. One with history, with a connection with its fans. Granted, the very same can be said of the four sides that will be playing in the Uber Arena in a few days. Still, as the business of this sport gets driven more towards investment, the very point of what is being invested in comes to mind?
The travelling Telekom Baskets Bonn fans came here hoping for a hot home crowd. They knew that Alba’s fans would be loud and make this a tough place to play. A billionaire’s whim won’t change that. Nor can it create a culture overnight. This may sound like I’ve just come out of the mines but basketball as a business needs that stability. It will never exist in isolation. There will always be competition and always someone richer to outspend. The growth of basketball, both culturally and economically, is about that Alba motto. Mit Leib und Seele, because the more people emotionally invested in the sport the more everyone wins. It becomes more culturally ingrained and far more valuable as a business with sticky customers that are advocates.
Business rant over, Alba led after three 64-59.
A little drama always helps
It was a nervy start to the final quarter for both sides. Granted some more scoring would have been nice but possessions felt heavy every time. The row in front of me were not your usual courtside VIPs. They were up on their feet and loudly turning to those in the packed rows behind me to rise with them and roar.
Granted. It made the view challenging at times because everyone was on their feet but I could hear how every play was going based on how the young lads were reacting. A Martin Hermannsson three put Alba Berlin 7 points up with 2.25 to play. The win was far from secure but it was the widest gap between the sides in a long time.
With 1.09 to play, another three from Hermannson made it a 9 point lead and now the fans could breathe easier. Instead, they kept on roaring. In the end, it was an 83-70 win for Alba Berlin. The fans cheered, the players showed them love. Everyone went home from home, even if this wasn’t the usual home.
