“It didn’t look good in between,” said coach Gordon Herbert after the thriller in Barelona.
“It didn’t look good in between,” said coach Gordon Herbert after the crime thriller in the Palau Blaugrana, but in the end the basketball players of FC Bayern still got the “victory of the character”. Through the 102: 101 (56:55) at direct competitor FC Barcelona, the Münchner in the Euroleague are still on the course towards play-offs.
With 18 wins and 13 defeats, the German champion, who had previously collected two defeats, is for the time being fifth in the table. But it is not just the next opponent Partizan Belgrade (17:13). On Thursday, when it comes to seeing the Serbs in the home game with the world champion Isaac Bonga, who migrated in summer, another success would be extremely important. Also because Belgrade has played one less game.
It was exciting in Barcelona. From the point of view of Bavaria it was 83:94 five minutes before the end (35th), then the catch-up started with a 6-0 run. 39 seconds before the final siren, Topscorer Carsen Edwards (23 points) shortened to 100: 101, on the other side of the field, captain Vladimir Lucic won an important rebound, was fouled and turned the game on the open -cast lines. Barca, which is now in a 17:14 record, then awarded the possible victory throw.
“We were very good in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter when it got on,” said German international Nick Weiler-Babb: “Big players do big plays and in the end we held together and won the victory.” Edwards blows through relief: “We have to look from game to game, but that was very important.”
The world champion coach praised the attitude: “We never gave up, we can only take the hat off our boys,” said Herbert, “we played very well in the last two minutes. We have stumbled a little defensively, but Barcelona is a very good, offensive team. But my men stayed together and won in the end.”
After the Belgrade game, the last two main round areas against Maccabi Tel Aviv and the top team Fenerbahce Istanbul are: Six teams move in directly to the quarter-finals, the four next best (7-10) come to play-in-for the rest, the season is over.