Basketball playoffs: Big fight against the gamblers

The FC Bayern Munich basketball team avoided an extra shift with great difficulty and, after a hard-fought 94-82 (36-41, 79-79) overtime victory over the Academics Heidelberg and a 3-1 win in the best-of-five series, are in the final of the German championship. In a closely matched game, the Munich team only prevailed in overtime and now awaits their opponent in the first final game on Sunday at the SAP Garden (6 p.m.). The opponent will be determined on Thursday in Ulm, as the Würzburg Baskets forced a decisive fifth game with a razor-thin 78-77 (44-41) home win against the 2023 champions.

In Heidelberg, it initially appeared that the Munich team was still on the bus at the start of the game. Or that they were trying to make things more difficult for themselves, with the sluggish and unfocused way they began this important game. After all, the extra shift was supposed to be avoided in just two days, but that was far from the case: a series of missed shots, bad passes, and defenders who tiredly stumbled behind the nimble Heidelbergers. The hosts may have a smaller squad, and with less quality to boot, but they do have four top-notch players in their ranks: top scorer Damariae Horne (17 points), Michael Weathers (16), Bakary Dibba (12), and Ryan Mikesell (10). And this quartet shook up the weary Munich team at will in the first quarter, which translated into a clear 28:14 lead.

Coach Gordon Herbert remained surprisingly calm, not speaking loudly during the two timeouts he was forced to call early on, but rather calming his team. His confidence in his players was not unfounded, as the champions slowly fought their way back into the game. Bayern increased their intensity, especially defensively, and were already dangerously close to Heidelberg at halftime, trailing 36:41. But the Academics weren't going to let the prospect of another trip to the Bavarian capital slip away so easily, continuing to profit from the favorites' high error rate and leading 62:58 going into the final ten minutes.

And with every successful move, the hosts believed in their chances a little more. Given the dwindling energy on both sides, the final period was anything but pleasant to watch, but the tension grew with every minute. Just as Munich looked like the winners at 77:73 thanks to a three-pointer from Andi Obst, who, like Shabazz Napier, was the top scorer with 19 points each, Erol Ersek scored a three-pointer in the last second to tie the score at 79:79. In overtime, the favorites, which included Niels Giffey (13), Vladimir Lucic, and Johannes Voigtmann (both 10), remained calm, capitalized on their better opportunities, and deservedly advanced to the final.

It is not yet clear who they will play against, as Würzburg recovered from an early deficit and won with a goal from Davion Mintz 8.9 seconds before the final whistle.