There was not much drama in the German playoffs as all four quarter-finals series were decided by sweeps - the first time in the history of the best-of-five format. There were some tears shed though as Per Günther played his 500th - and final - game in the easyCredit BBL. German basketball also gained a back-to-back Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion as Tibor Pleiss starred in the Championship Game as Anadolu Efes Istanbul won a second straight title.
In this section, we break out our English language skills and inform you about the latest news from the German easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga. If you’re short on time but still want your fill of Germany’s top basketball league then you are in the right place. Every week David Hein (www.heinnews.com) brings you up-to-date in German basketball – the easyCredit BBL short and sweet:
First time four quarter-finals sweeps - Berlin vs Ludwigsburg; Bonn vs Bayern in semis
Four quarter-finals series …. four sweeps. That happened for the first time in easyCredit BBL history since the best-of-five format was introduced in 1998-99. And that leaves the top four teams in the final standings still alive for the 2021-22 title. The semi-finals will see reigning champs ALBA BERLIN take on MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg starting Friday in the German capital and Telekom Baskets Bonn host Game 1 against FC Bayern Munich on Saturday
Ludwigsburg too strong for Ulm, finish sweep in Per’s final game
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg showed their strength by completing a three-game sweep of ratiopharm ulm with a 97-79 victory in Game 3 on the road. After the first two games went to double-overtime and overtime, Game 3 was decided pretty early as Ludwigsburg raced away to a 15-point lead after 10 minutes and the score was 58-35 at halftime. Ludwigsburg shot 57.4 percent for the game including 70.6 percent on two-pointers and 15 three-pointers made. Justin Simon led the way with 20 points, Jordan Hulls had 4 triples en route to 18 points, Jonah Radebaugh scored 16 points and James Woodard chipped in 15 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Karim Jallow paced Ulm with 15 points, Semaj Christon and Sindarius Thornwell both scored 14 points and Jaron Blossomgame was held to 5 points. Per Günther hit 4-of-5 shots for 10 points in 14 minutes in his final game.
Per Günther next legend to call it a day
The next easyCredit BBL legend called it a day as ratiopharm ulm’s departure from the playoffs meant the end of Per Günther’s career - after 500 games. The point guard ranks sixth in games played since the start of data collection in 1998 and scored 4,499 points to rank ninth. He also dished out 1,556 assists - good for fourth place - and grabbed 655 rebounds and 190 steals. Günther played in eight All-Star Games and won the league’s Best German Youth Player award in 2009. He never won a German title, twice losing in the league finals (2011-12 and 2015-16) and twice finishing runners-up in the German Cup (2012-13 and 2013-14).
Berlin roll past Bamberg again for 3-0 sweep, await Ludwigsburg
ALBA BERLIN finished off a 3-0 sweep over Brose Bamberg with another dominant victory, winning 103-70 on the road. The two-time reigning champions and top seed won the three games by an average margin of 23.3 points. In Game 3, Berlin led by nine points after the first quarter and it was 61-36 at halftime and the guests never let up in the second half for the sweep. Berlin shot 57.6 percent for the game including a blistering hot 56.7 percent from long range with 19 three-pointers while Bamberg hit just 36.8 percent from the field. Oscar da Silva scored 14 points to lead seven Berlin players in double figures with Maodo Lo collecting 13 points and 10 assists, Yovel Zoosman hitting for 12 points and Tim Schneider scoring 11 points in less than 9 minutes. Justin Robinson was Bamberg’s leading scorer with 12 points and both Chris Dowe and Tomas Kyzlink had 11 points.
PJC pours in 31 points, Bonn sweep Hamburg for first semis since 2009
Parker Jackson-Cartwright showed once again why he was the season Most Valuable Player as he poured in 31 points to lead Telekom Baskets Bonn to a 95-88 victory at Hamburg Towers to complete a 3-0 sweep and book their spot in the semi-finals for first time since 2009. Bonn, who will take on FC Bayern Munich in the semis, led most of the second quarter but Hamburg built a 12-point lead in the third quarter and were leading by 11 points after 30 minutes. Bonn dominated the fourth quarter 31-13 and finished the game on a 10-2 run with Jackson-Cartwright scoring eight points including two three-pointers. Bonn had 15 offensive rebounds which led to a 22-9 advantage in second chance points and had a 12-2 lead in fast break points. The league MVP PJC also picked up 5 three-pointers, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Javontae Hawkins scored 14 points, Skyler Bowlin and Karsten Tadda both had 4 three-pointers and 13 points and Michael Kessens chipped in 11 points and 11 rebounds. Jaylon Brown scored 21 points for Hamburg with Maik Kotsar picking up 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, Caleb Homesley adding 13 points and Justus Hollatz contributing 11 points and 4 turnovers.
Bayern need OT but finish off sweep over Chemnitz
FC Bayern Munich needed overtime but managed to get past NINERS Chemnitz 87-80 on the road to take their quarter-finals series by 3-0 sweep and reach the semi-finals. Bayern led by 15 points midway through the second quarter but the hosts were up by nine points near the end of the third quarter. Neither team could pull away in the final frame with three points being the biggest lead. Bayern finished the overtime strong with a 7-2 run in the final 2 minutes - including a Nihad Djedovic three-pointer with 20 seconds left. Bayern held Chemnitz to just 42.2 percent shooting including 28.0 percent from long range while the guests hit 13-of-25 for 52.0 percent on three-pointers. Nick Weiler-Babb tallied 19 points, Ognjen Jaramaz and Augustine Rubit both scored 11 points and Djedovic and Andi Obst both contributed 10 points. Isiaha Mike led all scorers with 24 points while Nelson Weidemann had 14 points and Frantz Massenat and Mindaugas Susinskas both picked up 12 points.
Player of the Week
The Player of the Week for Round 3 of the playoffs went to Isiaha Mike from NINERS Chemnitz for his outstanding showing against FC Bayern Munich - despite it being a loss. He scored 24 points on 8-of-13 shots and 6-of-6 free throws to go with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals for an efficiency of 30.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Maodo Lo, ALBA BERLIN
Lo was outstanding for Berlin in the Game 3 win over Brose Bamberg with 13 points, 1 rebound and 10 assists.
G: Justus Hollatz, Hamburg Towers
Hollatz poured in 11 points with 4 assists and 1 steals but they were not enough in a Game 3 loss to Telekom Baskets Bonn.
F: Karim Jallow, ratiopharm ulm
Jallow led Ulm in scoring in a Game 3 loss to MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg as he had 15 points and also picked up 3 rebounds and 1 assist.
C: Christian Senfelder, Brose Bamberg
Sengfelder could not stop Bamberg from getting swept by ALBA BERLIN despite tallying 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block.
C: Michael Kessens, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Kessens played a major role in Bonn’s Game 3 win over Hamburg Towers with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Pleiss dominates in EuroLeague final, first German with two titles
Tibor Pleiss became the first German player with two Turkish Airlines EuroLeague titles as he dominated in the Championship Game for with 19 points in Anadolu Efes Istanbul’s 58-57 win over Real Madrid. Pleiss and Efes repeated as EuroLeague champions.
Mushidi stays for another season at SYNTAINICS MBC
Kostja Mushidi will spend another season at SYNTAINICS MBC as the sides agreed to a deal until the end of the 2022-23 campaign. The 23-year-old guard picked up 11.6 points last season, ranking fourth most among German players.
Rostock join easyCredit BBL as ProA champion
The ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES will join the easyCredit BBL next season as the 2021-22 champions of the second division ProA. Rostock won both games of the ProA finals, 78-77 at Tigers Tübingen and then 81-73 at home to celebrate the club’s first ProA championship.
Berlin U19 NBBL champs, Ulm U16 JBBL winners
This weekend saw the German U19 NBBL and U16 JBBL champions crowned and ALBA BERLIN claimed their fourth NBBL title following 2009, 2014 and 2019 and ratiopharm ulm won their first JBBL crown. Berlin beat ratiopharm ulm in the semi-finals 85-72 and then downed YOUNG RASTA DRAGONS 107-64 in the final in Frankfurt. Ulm defeated Metropol YoungStars 91-79 to reach their first JBBL final, where they down fellow first-time finalists ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES 99-85 for the crown.
Germans Abroad
Franz Wagner was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team after his wildly successful debut season in the league for the Orlando Magic. Wagner received First Team votes from 84 of the 100 voting journalists after he averaged 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists, starting in all 79 of his games for the Magic this season.
RelatedNews
On the Road
Theis: Gleichstand in den NBA Finals / Schröder über Heimat und Hater / Pleiß gegen Akpinar und Barthel in den türkischen Finals
Pfiff der Woche
Auflösung bei München gegen Chemnitz: Kein „Tripping“ von Trent Lockett an Nihad Djedovic
Nachberichte
