Bonn and Bayern are the favorites
The easyCredit BBL quarter-finals took their toll, Alba Berlin (2) surprisingly lost to Ulm (7) and Oldenburg (4) lost 3-0 to Ludwigsburg (5). The semifinals are played in a best-of-five format, with the first matches on Sunday and Monday.
Telekom Baskets Bonn (1) – Riesen Ludwigsburg (5)
Incredible season for Bonn, unimaginable even by their craziest fan. They have already won the Basketball Champions League and passed the quarter-finals of the BBL with a 3-0 against Chemnitz, without too many emotions and with TJ Shorts still in fantastic form. It seems that the rumors about the departure of Tuomas Iisalo do not bother them, reaching 15 consecutive victories for the 2nd time this season. Ludwigsburg passed Oldenburg 3-0 and can hope that the duo of Prentiss Hubb (15.7 pts, 5.8 ast) – Jhonathan Dunn (13.5 pts) will be able to do wonders against a team led from the field by Shorts (18.5 pts, 7.4 ast, 3.1 reb). In the regular season, they shared their victories, but Ludwigsburg’s victory came at the beginning of the season when Bonn was still a team to beat.
Bayern Munich (3) – Ratiopharm Ulm (7)
Bayern has a clear objective, improving the second place occupied last year. Although they are without Vladimir Lucic, Augustine Rubit and Othello Hunter, Trinchieri has many players with Euroleague experience and a really impressive rotation, with Isaac Bonga and Weiler-Babb playing the most, on average both under 23 minutes. In the quarters, they managed a 3-0 win over Gottingen without too many emotions. Ulm surprisingly beat Alba Berlin 3-1 in the quarterfinals, ending a compromised season for them anyway. The team is created around the Brazilian international duo, Yago dos Santos (13.0 pts, 6.1 ast, 3.0 reb) – Bruno Caboclo (17.4 pts, 7.8 reb). In the regular season, Bayern won both direct meetings. Ulm probably has already exceeded its condition and will be able to win a maximum of one match, against a team with a long rotation and an experienced coach, Andrea Trinchieri.
Valentin Petruta
Photo: Sky Sport
