Biggest shocker of European domestic-league basketball playoffs thus far? David Hein posts this brief report on German Bundesliga no. 8 seed snapping top dog Brose Baskets Bamberg’s 48-game winning streak in the first match of their quarterfinals meeting – there’s even a quality Luol Deng-like buzzer-beater to boot…
Telekom Baskets Bonn squeaked into the German Beko BBL playoffs, but that didn’t stop Mike Koch’s team from pulling an absolute shocker in the opening game of the postseason. Benas Veikalas’ tip-in just before the buzzer gave the eighth-seeded Bonn a 75-74 victory at two-time defending champions and top-seeded Brose Baskets Bamberg.
The Bonn win snapped Bamberg’s 48-game home winning streak in domestic action.
“You get what we earn,” said Bamberg coach Chris Fleming after his team committed 18 turnovers and allowed 29 points in the fourth quarter.
“Even we can lose a game now and again. But now it’s important that it doesn’t happen again,” said Bamberg guard Anton Gavel.
“After an up-and-down season, it was very important for us to get to the playoffs. After winning the last game against Frankfurt to reach the post-season, we had a lot less stress and could play without any pressure,” said Bonn coach Mike Koch.
The BBL is hyping up its playoffs with the slogan “Unglaubiches wird passieren!” (“Unbelievable will happen!”), and German hoops fans got that in the premiere game of the postseason.
This defeat doesn’t have to be a bad omen for Bamberg, however: The team’s last loss against German competition at home came on June 6, 2010, when they fell in the first game of the BBL Finals against Frankfurt Skyliners. Bamberg ended up winning the title that season.
The German media responded accordingly, calling it a “Shock”, “Sensation” and a “Thunderbolt.”
Game Two of the best-of-five series is Wednesday May 9.
Germany-based David Hein is often (justifiably, we think) dubbed by BiE as “the hardest-working man in European sportswriting.” Aside from contributing to BallinEurope, FIBA’s official website and the Bundesliga Basketball League official website, he also writes for numerous German- and English-language outlets on sports from soccer and basketball on down. Check out far-ranging samples of his work at heinnews.com.
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