Basketball Bundesliga
A resounding victory for Bonn: final series balanced again
Ulm’s Karim Jallow (2nd from left) tries to prevent Bonn’s Jeremy Morgan from throwing. photo
© Marius Becker/dpa
The Telekom Baskets Bonn are back. After the defeat in the first game, the Champions League winner shows his full strength in the second final. Now it’s on to Ulm.
With an impressive show of force, Telekom Baskets Bonn managed to equalize in the final series of the basketball league.
Two days after the surprising 73:79 against ratiopharm Ulm, the Champions League winner clearly won the second duel in his own hall with 104:75 (45:29). Game three takes place in Ulm on Wednesday, and the team from Ulm also have home advantage in the fourth game on Friday. A possible fifth game would then take place again in Bonn on June 18, since the Telekom Baskets had finished first in the main round.
To become German champion, three victories are necessary. It would be the first championship title for both Bonn and Ulm. Defending champion Alba Berlin had already failed in the quarterfinals against Ulm, which then also knocked Bayern Munich out of the playoffs in the semifinals.
In front of 6000 spectators in the sold-out Telekom Dome in Bonn, Finn Delany was the best thrower in Bonn with 23 points. National player Karim Jallow scored 17 points in Ulm.
Bonn is stronger than in the first duel
The Bonners acted more aggressively in the second meeting from the start than on Friday. The Rhinelanders were not shocked by the first home defeat of the season and were already ten points ahead after the first quarter (26:16). The Bonners had a significantly better shot rate than on Friday and also once again decided the rebound ratio clearly in their favour.
But Ulm initially held back impressively and equalized at the beginning of the second quarter with a 10-0 run to make it 26:26. The momentum was now on the visitors’ side, but Bonn came back. With a 19:3 run, the Telekom Baskets had a decisive advantage up to half-time. “We slept through the first game a bit and didn’t show what we can do. It’s different today,” said Bonn national team center Leon Kratter at half-time.
After half-time, the Bonners seamlessly continued their strong phase before the break. Coach Tuomas Iisalo’s team won the third period 30:15, so the game was decided. Both teams used the final quarter again for some spectacular scenes – nothing changed at the end of the game.