A few days ago, the Deutsche Bank Skyliners roster had some holes in the roster and appeared weaker, but then all of a sudden as if the charming tooth fairy had come to make basketball house calls, left two bucks under the Skyliner pillow with Brad Buckman and Jermaine Bucknor making the Skyliner world look a lot more enticing again similar to the world of FSV Mainz 05 and their current seven game winning streak, the last 14 years of Seal´s love life sharing champagne non stop with the likes of models Tatjana Patitz, Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum and the average German person feeling elated about the 20^th anniversary of the German unification, but unfortunately the two new very hungry bucks were unable to slow down the EWE Baskets thunders birds loosing a nail bitter in the last minute 70-67. “We were unable to stop the flight of the thunderbirds at the end. We played well enough to win”, stressed San Diego native Grayson Moyer. Ricky Paulding had a huge grin on his face after the win and no one knew if it was because he had recently become a dad for the second time or because he had beaten friend Jimmy Mckinney for the sixth time as a pro, but actually it had to do with one of the new Skyliner bucks. “I don’t know why the bucks couldn´stomp on the thunderbirds, but I do know I got revenge on Brad Buckman. I can remember that he beat me all the time with Texas when I was playing at Missouri”, stressed 2004 Detroit Pistons draft pick Ricky Paulding. The Skyliner played well for 39 minutes and then lost the game in the last minute. “We had problems executing in the last minute. There was a problem getting the new guys integrated so fast, but we showed that we could stick with one of the top teams”, warned Skyliner captain Pascal Roller. Oldenburg showed in crunch time that they have nerves of steal coming back to win. “We dug ourselves a hole, but we never gave up. We came back got stops and made plays on offense. The ball bounced our way at the end”, added Rickey Paulding.

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners had been without the two bucks 96 hours ago and considering how long the two players had been with the Skyliners and how little time that they could practice with the team, the Frankfurt club played a very strong game against a tough Oldenburg team. “It was tough integrating the new players, but they gave everything just like the rest of the team. What many teams did in six weeks in preseason, we have to do within hours concerning getting the team to find a rhythm”, added Skyliner sports director Kamil Novak. Buckman and Bucknor combined for 19 points in 34 minutes. “The two new guys had one practice together. I think that the guys did a pretty good job in their first game”, said Skyliner coach Gordon Herbert. Buckman left the dressing room with a positive outlook on the future of the team once everyone is on the same page. “You couldn´t really expect too much in this game from us. It was the first time that we played together. Once we learn each other then we will be more successful.We were thrown into the fire today and we didn´t really know what we should do. Once when we have the plays down then we will be very good”, warned Texas native Brad Buckman.

The BEKO BBL also saw the debut of EWE Baskets Oldenburg forward Steve Smith who played 8 games with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2006-2007. He is a big forward that can mix it up inside, but also likes to shoot from outside. Last season, he tore up the league in Israel playing for Naharya averaging 16,9ppg and 7,5rpg. Many experts have speculated Smith becoming a regular BEKO BBL double double threat, but in his first game, he settled for 11 points and six rebounds. “My first priority is to win, but I think that we have so many guys on this team that can get double doubles each night with Mcnaughton, Baynes and Stevic. We have enough guys that will get double doubles and that when the defense collapses in on the guards that I will be ok shooting from outside”, stressed Steve Smith. Brad Buckman was impressed by the American that played at La Salle from 2002-2006. “Smith is a good tough player. He can shoot, take the dribble and really score from all over the floor”, added Buckman. Even though Smith has NBA experience, he stayed quite humble about his short time at the big show. “It was a great time with the 76ers. I didn´t dress for most games since I was a rookie. I always felt comfortable playing for my home team. The best experience was playing that first home game. The feeling was indescribable. I only got spot minutes and my job was to be aggressive and get rebounds. The NBA was the best experience in my life”, said Steve Smith.

German soccer club Mainz had won earlier in the day against Hoffenheim and had extended their winning streak to seven games while the Deutsche Bank Skyliners were only thinking about starting a winning streak. In the last years, the games in Oldenburg had taken a similar pattern in which Frankfurt always got off to a slow start trailed for the whole game, but were always in reaching distance, but then lost in the end anyway. Tonight, Frankfurt reversed the cards by storming out on a 10-0 run getting the Thunderbirds halfway in their cage before their usual supper. Frankfurt was very clever using the whole court getting production from AJ Moye inside, a Jimmy Mckinney three pointer and a typical Dashaun Wood lay up. The EWE Baskets Oldenburg were a bit overmotivated in their first home game of the season and were missing shot after shot. Oldenburg slowly got in the game as Steve Smith dropped a three pointer and pull up pop over Buckman and Lou Campbell penetrated scoring around Mckinney, but Frankfurt still led 15-10. Buckman then added a three pointer from top of the arc and Campbell two free throws as Oldenburg still trailed 18-12. German Daniel Hain then had some lady luck as he nailed a three pointer while falling and one second being on the shot clock cutting the Frankfurt lead 18-15.  Dominik Bahiense De Mello followed with a lay up as Frankfurt led 20-16 after one quarter. “We weren´t defending well and missing shots while Frankfurt was hitting their shots”, explained Rickey Paulding. The Deutsche Bank Sklyiners were shooting 50% from the field and 60% from outside while the EWE Baskets Oldenburg were shooting 29% from the field and 33% from outside. Frankfurt had the 11-8 rebound edge, but three turnovers while Oldenburg had none.

In the second quarter, the EWE Baskets Oldenburg stayed close, but The Deutsche Bank Skyliners would soon pull away and extend their lead to 13 points. Brad Buckman was showing his versatile play as he made a nifty hook shot over Mcnaughtona s Frankfurt led 22-19. AJ Moye followed with a tip in and Jermaine Bucknor with a three pointer as Frankfurt led 28-22. Frankfurt was playing a smart zone defense which was stifling the Oldenburg offense and they were playing intelligent on offense looking for the good shot. Frankfurt also was getting better on the offensive glass as Marius Nolte made a tip in after the third try. Moye then followed with finger tip lay in in the mold of a Tiny Archibald back in the day as he palyed for the Boston Celtics. Nolte made two free throws and Moye scored again inside getting a risky, but perfect lob pass from Kimmo Muurinen. Mckinney then made a jumper as Frankfurt had their biggest lead of the game 38-25. Frankfurt was a bit unlucky in the last minutes allowing Oldenburg to go on a 6-1 lead as Frankfurt led only 39-31 at halftime. Nemanja Protic and Smith buried two three pointers in this run. “We got better on defense, but Frankfurt was still very tough on offense”, expressed Rickey Paulding. The Deutsche Bank Skyliners were shooting 42% from the field and 36% from the three point line while Oldenburg was shooting 33% from the field and 43% from the three point line. Frankfurt had the 22-16 rebound edge and both teams had five turnovers.

In the third quarter, The Deutsche Bank Skyliners held the lead, but Oldenburg would keep chipping away at the lead and keep shrinking it. Paulding who stayed quiet in the game and finished with only four points started the third quarter with a hoop hard off the glass on the penetaration. However Frankfurt had a lot more routine in their offense and found so many different ways to score which Oldenburg was unable to match on defense. Moye made a steal and went coast to coast for the lay in and then Muurinen scored on a fast break one handed dunk getting the feed from Wood. The Frankfurt lead was at 43-33. Oldenburg then started finding more success going inside drawing fouls which enabled them cutting the lead down drastically. With Frankfurt leading 50-40, Oldenburg went on a 7-0 run getting Mcnaughton and Stevic free throws as well as a Stevic dunk on a fast break. After De Mello scored on back door pass from Wood, Oldenburg got some more free throws from Mcnaughton and Mindaugas Luukauskis as Frankfurt had the slim 53-50 lead after three quarters. “We came into the third quarter being aggressive on defense and not worrying about our offense. We got easy baskets and rebounds”, added Rickey Paulding. The Deutsche Bank Skyliners were shooting 38% from the field and 25% from the parking lot while the EWE Baskets Oldenburg were shooting 37% from the field and 39% from the parking lot. Frankfurt still had the 30-27 rebound edge and only six turnovers while Oldenburg had eight turnovers.

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners continued to have the lead in the fourth quarter, but Oldenburg stayed on their tail the same way Tom does chasing Jerry the mouse and they could never break away the way they did in the second quarter. After Mckinney scored on a three pointer after a solid crisp kick out pass by Wood, Wood scored inside as Frankfurt was starting to breathe easier again with the 58-51 lead. However Oldenburg went on a mini 6-2 run to cut the Frankfurt lead to 60-57. Stevic scored all six points scoring inside and from the foul line. Stevic made a little promotion for his game which head coach Predrag Krunic noticed. “Stevic had a good game. He brought a lot of energy and aggressiveness to the offense and defense”, said Krunic. After Stevic made one of three free throws and Buckman one of two, Smith made a spin move around Bucknor cutting the Frankfurt lead to 62-60. Moye then scored in spectacular fashion inside going around Campbell and Frankfurt kept the upper hand 64-60. However with the 39^th minute approaching it was two big time American players that took matters into their own hands as Smith scored an open three pointer and Paulding took something out of Moye´s book making a finger tip role for the first Oldenburg lead 65-64 with 1.01 to play. Wood then missed two free throws and Stevic scored inside as he was left all alone for an easy bucket. After two Protic´s free throws Oldenburg led 69-64 and it looked like Frankfurt was going to lose again in Oldenburg. Wood then came back nailing a three pointer and Frankfurt trailed only 69-67. After Campbell made one of two free throws, Oldenburg led 70-67 with 10 seconds to play and Frankfurt had one more possession. Roller missed a three pointer, but the rebound was pulled down by Moye who dribbled back behind the three point line and with 2 seconds remaining found Wood on the wing as he attempted the game tying three pointer, but was denied leaving Oldenburg celebrating. “The release felt good, but it was just a bit short”, expressed Dashaun Wood. “We had two great looks at the end and they either go in or out. Nine out of ten times I would always give Wood the ball”, said Brad Buckman. In the last two years, Frankfurt have had some great buzzer beater wins and also tough loses like the current one in Oldenburg. “There is no difference losing like this or on a buzzer beater. The team gave everything and small errors at the end decided this game”, stated Kamil Novak. “We did not execute well offensively at the end”, added Skyliner coach Gordon Herbert. “Our defense decided the game at the end”, said Predrag Krunic.

The EWE Baskets Oldenburg were led by Oliver Stevic with 17 points and five rebounds. Lou Campbell added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. Steve Smith contributed 11 points and six rebounds. The Deutsche Bank Skyliners were led by AJ Moye with 14 points and seven rebounds. Dashaun Wood chipped in with 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Jimmy Mckinney added 11 points and seven rebounds. Bradley Buckman contributed ten points and three rebounds. After starting the game with very high shooting percentages, Frankfurt ended with 38% from the field and only 27% from outside while Oldenburg shot 41% from the field and 35% from outside. Frankfurt did a fine job controlling the boards 38-34 and won the points in the paint 26-20. Just as there was much positive aspects to the Besiktas Istanbul game, there were also plenty things to commend after this bitter three point loss. ”We fought and stayed strong. We played well in the paint and I thought overall played a good defensive game. We made their guards work for everything. This loss will not hurt us mentally for the game in Turkey on Tuesday. It is a long season with enough games. Turkey will be a new situation”, warned Skyliner American Grayson Moyer. Besiktas Istanbul host The Deutsche Bank Skyliners in the return Eurocup challenge game on Tuesday October 5^h.