Winger Louis Olinde is relieved about his first win in the Euroleague Photo: picture alliance / photo booth
From BZ/dpa
The Alba Berlin basketball players felt relief everywhere on Thursday evening. Because the first victory in the new Euroleague season was particularly important for the head.
“It’s a confirmation. It shows that you can do it. And finally you get a reward,” said winger Louis Olinde after the 85:82 home win against Armani Milan.
After four defeats, the specter of last season was already haunting people’s minds when the Berliners suffered twelve defeats in a row. “If you lose twelve in a row, then you start to doubt it. That’s why it’s good,” admitted world champion Johannes Thiemann. Now the first print is gone.
In the end, against Milan, it was the greater will that made the difference in the exciting final phase. “This is the only way for us at the moment. It only works with a lot of fight,” said sports director Himar Ojeda. Because his newly formed team is “still under construction”. The Spaniard emphasized that Alba also has ambitions in the premier class. “We want to get as far as possible here too,” he said.
But the Berliners see themselves as outsiders. Thiemann therefore believes that “many Euroleague teams will underestimate us”. A role that Alba also seems to like. With Milan they were now able to annoy their first big opponent. “They came here a bit with the feeling: Yes, okay, Alba has lost four in a row, it’s not going so well for them,” said Olinde.