Brose Bamberg exits at the semi-final stage after a torrid tussle

Brose Bamberg has lost its playoff semi-final series in the German championship by 1:3 after a 79:83 defeat at home in the Brose Arena against cup winners FC Bayern Munich, despite leading by 20 points in the first period. As a result, Bamberg, who began the campaign as winners of the double, ended its turbulent season without a title.

At least the players could not be accused of showing a lack of fight and commitment in their final home game of the 2017/18 season. After the embarrassing 67:99 defeat in the Audi Dome on Saturday, the team of Head Coach Luca Banchi got off to a cracking start, driven on by top scorer Dorell Wright (26 points). The former NBA star made four lay-ups and drained two buckets from downtown to notch up 14 points in the first quarter. In addition, Maodo Lo repeatedly attacked Munich’s basket with his fast turn of pace and added seven points. Bamberg’s lead increased from 11:4, to 21:6, to 33:13 after eight minutes, also thanks to Daniel Hackett’s two threes. However, Bamberg’s strength began to wane perceptibly after that. As in a number of previous games, Banchi actually rotated with just seven men, whereas Bayern distributed the time on court over ten players. Bayern increased its intensity in defense as of the second period, meaning Bamberg had to work harder for its shots. The home side also committed mistakes at the back, which the visitors capitalized on. The lead dwindled to 38:29, but then Dorell Wright sparked a final spurt in the period with a four-point play, and both teams went in at half-time with the score at 52:38.

However, FC Bayern stepped up the pace after the break. In particular, the two top scorers Danilo Barthel and Devin Booker were able to repeatedly gain the upper hand against Bamberg’s centers below the basket. The visitors reduced the deficit to 69:63, also thanks to the home side’s weak shooting percentage. Bamberg went six minutes without scoring a point in a phase straddling the quarters, which Munich exploited clinically to produce a run of 17 points without reply and leave Bamberg trailing by 69:77 with six minutes remaining. Maodo Lo broke the spell with a lay-up plus a bonus free throw, after which Augustine Rubit and Nikos Zisis reduced the gap to 79:80. Munich scored just one free throw with 14 seconds left to make it 79:81, meaning Bamberg had the chance to win or at least force the game into overtime. The final attack was then symptomatic of the season as a whole. Wright played the in-bounds pass to Daniel Hackett, but Bamberg’s most committed player over the whole season did not find a gap in Bayern’s defense and his pass to Augustine Rubit was intercepted by Munich’s Devin Booker. The fast break ended in a slam-dunk to make it 79:83 and eliminate Bamberg.

Luca Banchi commented: “Congratulations to Munich on the win. We started game four with the right attitude and played a strong first and second period. The game evolved differently after the break and, given such a tight encounter, it was also the small things that decided it in the end.”