The Munich basketball stars demonstrate nerves of steel in the do-or-die game against Ulm.

The FC Bayern basketball players briefly celebrated with the traveling fans and then quickly looked ahead. "It's going to be another big fight," said top scorer Shabazz Napier before the fifth final match of the German championship against ratiopharm Ulm on Thursday (8 p.m./Dyn) at Munich's SAP Garden.

World Cup-winning coach Gordon Herbert's star-studded team has postponed the title decision once again – and moved it to their home arena. Tuesday's performance was a strong statement from Munich. After equalizing at 2-2, they head into the decisive match of the final series with plenty of momentum. The momentum may now be back with the defending champions.

"That was a huge win for us," said Napier, who contributed 15 points to Munich's surprisingly decisive 67-53 (32-32) victory in Game 4. Three days after their dramatic home loss, Bayern were doomed to win in the cauldron of Neu-Ulm – and showed a remarkable response. "The series is damn close. We played great defense and had good runs," Napier explained on the Dyn microphone.

Ulm coach Ty Harrelson was particularly concerned about his team's frequent turnovers, which meant they were barely able to establish a proper rhythm. While the Swabians remain confident of securing their second league title after 2023, Bayern, whose coach Herbert sensationally led the German national team to World Cup triumph two years ago, are back. Instead of a titleless season, they could still have a spectacular finish.