Basketball Bundesliga: Alba Berlin before the start of the BBL playoffs: Don’t underestimate any opponent

Malte Delow had known that his former coach would appear in Alba Berlin’s training hall on Tuesday. However, he couldn’t control the childlike smile of joy that spread across the basketball national player’s entire face when Aito García Reneses suddenly stood in front of him. The Spaniard looked a little smaller, a little older, a little frailer since he gave up his coaching job in Berlin three years ago. No wonder: Even though the 77-year-old is enjoying his retirement in Barcelona, ​​time has left its mark on him. The players hardly seemed to notice. On the contrary, her eyes sparkled. »It brings back very good memories. He was a very important coach in my career,” said winger Delow, who Aito brought to the professionals from Alba’s youth. “I have a lot to thank him for and I hope he can help us now too.”

Alba’s club management succeeded in what they wanted to achieve with the visit of the old champions: a small mood high at the start of the playoff quarter-finals in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). The best-of-five series begins on Friday and Sunday with two home games for the Berliners, who finished the main round in second place, although in a season full of upheaval and injury misery they appeared much more vulnerable than in previous years.

However, things looked even worse for their opponents Bonn. The entire team had to be replaced after last year’s Champions League victory. The trainer also followed the call of money abroad. Seventh place after the main round can therefore be seen as a success, and the people of Bonn, who are growing ever closer together, can now hope to take on the role of the underestimated late starter that sensationally led Ulm to its first championship in 2023.

nd.Kompakt – our daily newsletter

Our daily newsletter nd.Compact brings order to the news madness. Every day you will receive an overview of the most exciting stories from the world editorial staff. Get your free subscription here.

Ulm’s first victim was Alba Berlin in the quarter-finals. »You still have that in the back of your mind: that stupid feeling of lying at home on the couch and everyone else is still playing for the title. “We definitely don’t want to repeat that,” Delow confirmed that no opponent would be underestimated anymore. »It was mentally difficult at the time because we had beaten Ulm twice before. You just don’t expect to suddenly play against the best team in the league. But that’s how it is in the playoffs. You have to be ready for your opponent to play their best basketball.”

The Berliners have long since lost the aura of invincibility. This is not just due to the quarter-final exit last year. Afterwards, many long-standing top performers left Alba. A rebuild with young talents was initiated, and they often got lost, especially in the Euroleague. »We had a season that can tear you apart. “But it actually brought us together,” claimed Delow. »That paid off in the end, at least in the BBL. We’re going into these playoffs with a few successes behind us.”

In fact, the Berliners have won eight of their last ten games since they no longer had to play Euroleague games during the week. One of the defeats came against the heavy title favorites Bayern Munich, and even they were defeated in the second leg a few days later. »Sometimes we still clearly lose the first quarter. But then we won’t let ourselves down anymore. We keep fighting our way back and still have chances to win. “Something like that can only be achieved through good team performance,” said playmaker Jonas Mattisseck, summing up the second half of this season.

The young national player now has to take on more responsibility himself since it became clear that both regular point guards Matteo Spagnolo and Žiga Samar will miss the rest of the season with injuries. Gabriele Procida, recently voted the best newcomer of the year in the Euroleguae, is also out. It is still unclear whether national player Louis Olinde, who is suffering from pain in his Achilles tendon, will be able to play on Friday. Nevertheless, Mattisseck is optimistic: “I think everything is always possible for us. After all, we have been champions in three of the last four years. We have extremely high standards for ourselves.«

The 24-year-old also recognizes that the standard in the league has never been as high as it is now. »With Chemnitz, Ulm and Würzburg we have even more teams that play really well. We can be very happy that we were still able to secure second place.” Last year’s naivety of believing that things would somehow work out in the playoffs has been put aside.

His coach Israel González would like to hear that. Especially since last year, we have known “how difficult it is now to survive the first round alone,” said the Spaniard, who took over the reins from Aito in 2021. He was also happy to be able to hug his former mentor in the hall this week. »It’s always good when someone speaks to me and the players with their knowledge. Everyone listens to him. This is a real upgrade for us,” González told “nd”.

Of course, he will also hang on to Aito’s every word and will under no circumstances let the new head coach out. “He has given me regular advice over the past few years, which I have always been happy to accept,” reported Alba’s trainer. Major differences of opinion are hardly to be expected anyway. »We almost always agree. It was like that when he was my boss.”