After the clear defeat in Bonn, the Ulm basketball players want to take a step towards the championship at home on Wednesday evening. Coach Gavel is optimistic.
In the series for the German basketball championship, the score is 1-1 between the favorite Telekom Baskets Bonn and the surprise team ratiopharm Ulm. Ulm was able to win one of the two away games in Bonn, but suffered a clear 75:104 defeat on Sunday. “I am sure that the team will give an answer,” said Ulm coach Anton Gavel at the press conference on Tuesday before the two home games on the Danube.
Ratiopharm Ulm: Morale is unbroken
“I don’t want to sugarcoat the defeat. We were defeated in every area,” said Gavel. But sometimes a clearly lost game might be better than a narrowly lost one. Morale is unbroken. In any case, the primary goal was to steal one of the two away games in Bonn. And that has been achieved.
It will be loud in the sold-out Ratiopharm Arena on Wednesday in the third final game for the German Championship between ratiopharm Ulm and Telekom Baskets Bonn.
The two upcoming home games in Ulm were each sold out within a minute. 450 Bonn fans are expected to be among the 6,200 spectators. “It’s a great thing for us that the rush is so big,” says the coach. “The fans will give us a huge boost.”
Fireworks cause discussion and trouble
All Ulm players are healthy and fit. On Monday, video analyzes were made and possible adjustments to Bonn’s recently successful attack and defense strategies were discussed. Fireworks in front of the Ulmer players’ hotel in Bonn on Sunday night caused a lot of discussion, especially on social media. Apparently, some Bonn fans wanted to disturb the Ulm basketball players’ sleep before the game.
“It’s not nice,” says Anton Gavel. “But that’s the way it is. We have to deal with that.” ratiopharm Ulm continues to insist that no television crew is allowed to overhear the time-outs during the game. They are willing to pay a fine for that.
Two home wins for the first championship title
The basketball euphoria in and around Ulm is huge. 800 fans alone came to the joint public viewing at the Orange Campus training center. Ulm started the playoffs as an outsider. After surprising victories against German champions Alba Berlin and cup winners Bayern Munich, the club is closer than ever to winning the title. Although one sees oneself against the main round first from Bonn as an underdog. On the other hand, the Ulmer now have the chance to become German champions for the first time with two home wins.
Should it be 2-2 in the final series on Friday evening, the all-important fifth game will take place again in Bonn on Sunday.
