Richie Williams is a 25 year old 178cm guard that played for SC Rasta Vechta this season and is sitting in the Pro A finals against the Duesseldorf Baskets. He is a very fast guard that can play either one or two. Great at pushing the break. Can score by shooting the three or using his explosiveness to beat his man. Gets to the basket and scores in traffic. A specialist in steals that uses his quickness to intimidate on defense. Great ball control. Gets the whole team involved when playing the point but can takeover a game at any time. He started his basketball career at  San Diego St. (NCAA) in 2005 where he played until 2009. In his senior year he played  36 games: 7.2ppg, 4.3rpg, 3.5apg, 2.1spg, FGP: 40.9%, 3Pts: 37.5%, FT: 64.2%. In 2009-2010, he started his professional basketball career for The San Diego Surf (ABA), in Jan.’10 moved to FSU Selfoss (Iceland-Express League, starting five): 8 games: 27.5ppg, 8.1rpg, 3.4apg, 2.8spg, FGP: 51.6%, 3PT: 46.2%, FT: 72.7%. Last season he played for  UBC Hannover Tigers (Germany-ProB, starting five): 33 games: 18.3ppg, 5.1rpg, Assists-4(5.7apg), Steals-2(3.2spg), FGP: 48.1%, 3PT: 36.1%, FT: 75.8%. He spoke to German Hoops after beating Duesseldorf and winning the Pro A title.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Congrats on winning the 2013 Pro A title. How proud are you of the team that they pulled it out despite not having you in the lineup?

 

 

 

Very proud and I expected it. They’ve done it before against Gottingen at home and in Karlsruhe in the second half of the season. It was never a one man show this season

 

How tough was it not playing. When did you find out that you wouldn´t play and why didn´t you play?

 

 

 

It’s the worst feeling ever. We put our blood, sweat and tears into what we do to play for moments like this and to not be apart it sucks.

 

Remembering winning this Pro A title will not be difficult, but what about the scores of the two final games were 84-78. Do you think anyone will ever remember these identical scores in 10 years or will that Pro A title always stick in the minds?

 

 

 

 No way, being crowned champion means a lot more than the exact score of the game.

 

 

 

Was the quick start where SC Rasta Vechta led 30-16 the stepping stone of getting the 84-78 win?

 

 

 

Definitely. Dusseldorf rallied back in the second half but in the whole they created was too much for them to rebound from.

 

What was key in getting the two wins in the Duesseldorf Baskets series?

 

 

 

 I would say “I believe you”. Being champions is a goal that every team strives to achieve. The actual belief, confidence, hard work and togetherness is what separates teams from others in making that dream happen.

 

How vital was the work of head coach Pat Elze? What was his strongest suit in leading the team to the Beko BBL?

 

 

 

 He’s a players coach. He never lost confidence in us even when we started the season 0-3. Trust and confidence in your players goes a long way when coaching a team and he exemplified that all season long

 

SC Rasta Vechta will play in the Beko BBL. Hpw good are the odds that you will be playing against the Artland Dragons this coming season with SC Rasta Vechta?

 

 

 

 I believe that we have a good chance. By no means am I saying we’re better than the Artland Dragons but we can definitely compete and give them a run for their money

 

How did your game develop in your second season as a professional? Do you think you can make the next step to the Beko BBL and be a force in the best basketball league in Germany?

 

 

 

 I pride myself in working the hardest and winning. I’ve never been the strongest, best shooter, highest jumper but I feel I have great leadership skills, a fighting spirit and I will my teams to win. The BBL is for sure a different level of competition but I know I will be ready to make noise in the league next year. Being ready is never an issue

 

Who was the unsung hero of SC Rasta Vechta this season?

 

 

 

The Unsung hero for me is Jacob Doerkson. Dude is a work horse and by far the craftiest player I’ve played. He posts hard, always aware of where he is on the court and he just makes things happen. The things he does you wont see on the stat sheet

 

What will be the first thing that you will do when you touchdown in the States?

 

 

 

I will land in San Diego and head straight to the Taco shop to get a Carne Asada Burrito!

 

Which two NBA teams will reach the final and will the Miami Heat win again?

 

I think the Spurs will meet Miami in the finals but Miami will win it again

 

 

 

After you watch any given sunday, were you positive that SC Rasta Vechta would win the Pro A title?

 

 

 

Any Given Sunday gets me super hyped! Al Pacino gives one of the greatest pre-game speeches ever. After that I truly believed great things would happen

 

 

 

Thanks Richie for the chat.

 

 

 

Kelly Beidler is a 24 year old 199cm forward from Virginia Beach, Virginia that will played his third professional season and first in Germany in the Beko BBL for the Mitteldeutscher BC playing 34 games averaging 9,3ppg, 4,8rpg and 1,6apg. He played at Mt.St.Mary’s (NCAA) from 2006-2010 playing a total of 119 NCAA games. In his senior year, he played 31 games: 10.7ppg, 7.1rpg, 1.5apg, 1.7spg, 1.4bpg, FGP: 41.8%, 3PT: 35.6%, FT: 74.1% . In 2010-2011, he was a rookie playing for : IR Reykjavik (Iceland-Express League, starting five): 24 games: Score-4(21.7ppg), Reb-2(12.4rpg), 3.8apg, Steals-5(2.5spg), Blocks-3(2.0bpg), FGP: 54.1%, 3PT: 34.4%, FT: 72.9%. In 2011-2012, he played for Karhu Kauhajoki (Finland-Korisliiga, starting five): 44 games: Score-4(19.2ppg), Reb-5(9.8rpg), 1.4apg, Steals-1(2.3spg), Blocks-1(1.9bpg), FGP: 57.1%, 3PT: 37.2%, FT: 70.8%. He spoke to German Hoops about the 2013 Beko BBL quarterfinal games.

You played your first season for MBC in Germany. How did you like the experience and what was your fondest memory on and off the court this season?

The experience of playing ball here in Germany has been memorable. To play in a country where the league is respected and to have basketball fans throughout all of Germany makes playing here special. I think the best memory is the excitement and appreciation of our fans when it was announced that we kept MBC in the BBL for the following season

MBC finished in 16th place. How would you summarize the season. Was this finish respectable from a team that had moved up from the second division?

This has definitely been an up and down season and one of the toughest ones to deal with as a competitor. To experience the challenge of being on a team that no one really had expectations for was a challenge in itself. We finished 16th which is good enough to stay in the league but we expected better for ourselves. Sitting in 11th place with 2 weeks left definitely was a better feeling then finishing in 16th place.

You averaged 9,3ppg, 4,8rpg and 1,6apg in the Beko BBL. How happy were you with your season and will you return to Germany?

My personal stats are a little under what I expected of myself for this season but still I can build off of this for the following year. I’d like to think my team and other teams in the league recognized that I have a passion for the game and I bring it to the court every chance I get. A player who plays hard for himself as well as his teammates and the ball club. My plans are to continue playing and Germany would be a country I’d be happy to keep playing in.

The 2013 quarterfinal Beko BBL playoffs look to have some nice matchups. The most interesting is Alba Berlin-FC Bayern Munich. What kind of series can we await, will it go five games and what will be key for each team winning?

I saw the matchup between Alba and Munich and it’s disappointing they have to meet in the first round. I think the series will go 5 games, both having well respected coaches who know the game and will prepare their team accordingly and the players who execute the game plan better than most players in the BBL. The battle between Wood and Rice will be very interesting and whoever can make more plays for the team, that team I think will win.

The Brose Baskets Bamberg have a real tough opening round with Phoenix Hagen. I see this as being a sweep by Bamberg if they are on or going five games. What kind of series can we await and what will be key for each team moving on?

I have Bamberg winning this series easily just because of the experience and discipline alone. Veteran team with great playmakers is a hard team to beat. Hagen also a respectable team that can shoot the ball and the lights out but against a team such as Bamberg, there’s more to it than just scoring

Bonn plays Oldenburg a rematch of the 2009 Beko BBL final where Oldenburg won the title. What kind of series can we await and what will be key for each team advancing?

This could be a good series if Bonn shows up to play because I know Oldenburg will without a doubt. I have Oldenburg winning this series in 4 or 5 games depending on how Bonn plays like I said. I think if Oldenburg plays their fast pace style of play, they should come out on top in this series.

The Artland Dragons have to tangle with ratiopharm Ulm. This is also one of those series that can end quick for Ulm or possibly go five games. What kind of series can we await and what will be key for each team getting to the next round?

Between Ulm and Artland is easy to decide. It all falls on to John Bryant’s shoulders. If he can be efficient offensively and defensively then they should win this series along with the help of his teammates of course. If Artland finds a way to slow Bryant down then they will win this battle with the weapons they bring to the court

NBA player Jason Collins came out saying he is gay. Do you see more professional athletes to follow his lead in the future?

I think with Jason Collin’s coming out and being honest about his sexuality definitely opens the door for other athletes to do the same especially with male athletes. It’s a step in the right direction for society I believe. An eye opener to show that Professional athletes and superstars are human just as everyone else and they face the same life challenges as we do in our everyday lives. I commend Jason Collins for being the first one to take that step

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

The Iran job. Which was a good movie and I recommend it to other athletes that are playing a professional sport in a country other than their own

Thanks Kelly for the chat.

As the Boston Celtics were down 3-0 to neighbors the New York Knicks, being a Boston Celtics fan was about as tough as if Derek Jeter awakened a hard core Red Sox fan with a self made cooked breakfast on a Sunday morning wearing the Yankees uniform. Fans had been wondering will one ever see Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo ever play again as the futures of the trio was as unknown as that of ratiopharm Ulm player John Bryant. The rise of ratiopharm Ulm has gone steadily not too fast after the club reached the Beko BBL cup and playoff final last year, moving into a new arena this season and having another stellar regular season and strong Eurocup season, but the 2013 Beko BBL playoffs could be the last time that John Bryant could help Ulm win a title. Bryant has won the Beko BBL MVP two seasons in a row being the best center in the league giving the word double double a new meaning and without big John, ratiopharm Ulm would not have reached two finals. Also in Quackenbruck, the Artland Dragons seem to be at a kind of cross roads. They are now in their third season with Stefan Koch, but despite reaching three playoffs in a row, it seems like the team has been a bit underachieving especially with the strength of their rosters. The last time, the Dragons won a title was the 2008 Beko BBL cup in Hamburg. Fans are thirsty for a title and the dungeon of Toby the Dragon and the fire inside seems to be getting a tad weaker. The expectations are high despite the average season by the Artland Dragons and this could be that last chance before another rebuilding and possible total restructuring of the roster could happen as it seems to be more the case now a days with professional basketball teams. Recently the 2000 cup winning head coach of the Opel Skyliners announced he wont return to Quackenbruck.

Ratiopharm Ulm had another very strong season not as potent as last season where they finished in second place with a record of 27-7, but this season in third place with a record of 24-10. One cant forget that this season every team was gunning for the Swaben team and that surprise effect like last season wasn´t present, plus they had the strain of the Eurocup season. Despite all this, the club was able to play like a top team and the players from last season and head coach Thorsten Leibanath were able to develop further in their functions and as a team as the chemistry stayed intact from last season coupled with the integration of the new players.  The club strung together a six, five and four game winning streaks. Their biggest wins of the season were sweeps of Alba Berlin, EWE Baskets Oldenburg and the Artland Dragons. Who could forget the buzzer beater of Keaton Nankivil last season against FC Bayern Munich and this season they beat Germanys most famous team again at home. Ratiopharm Ulm also have a strong offense as they averaged 84 points per game and scored 80 points or more 24 times. Defense isn´t their strong suit as they were only able to give up 70 or less points nine times. They kept Bayreuth, Trier and MBC under 50 points and even combined the perfect offense/defense combination beating Giessen 100-46, but then again that is no feat. Giessen surprised them in the Osthalle giving them a hard fought loss, defining the meaning that anything is possible in the Beko BBL.Their strength is their scoring power and depth on offense. With John Bryant and Per Guenther they have a powerful duo with the young German always creating points with his penetration or pick and roll play and the American just makes men look like boys in the paint. With Allan Ray, Steve Esterkamp and Daniel Theis, they have very formidable scorers. They also have unlimited potential from the bench with Philipp Schwethelm, Keaton Nankivil, Lance Jeter and Sebastian Betz. Even when Dane Watts went down for the season with an injury, nobody panicked and the late season pick up of Omar Samhan has added stability to the paint. The late addition of Pro B monster Myles Hesson has been a pleasant surprise as he has given strong minutes. For some a weakness is that the club is too dependent on Bryant, but if you look at the team, there is enough firepower and even if you take away the 10 rebounds per game by Bryant, then the team still has 29 which is what many lower ranked teams average. No matter how the game goes, one is never totally able to take Bryant out of his rhythm. Their defense is also suspect which could be a liability when Artland has good shooting nights and Ulm is not on as much on offense.

The last two seasons the Artland Dragons have been my sleeper team, but each season the y have underachieved. At the start of the season, I had them as one of the deepest teams in the league, but seven months later, they ended the season only in sixth place with a record of 20-14 and remained a riddle why such a talented team couldn´t perform better. There were some reasons in that Demond Mallet was injured to start the season and they never had a classic point guard and the big problem of the season was the power forward position as guys came and went like fleas do after having dinner on Beethoven the dog as ex NBA players Ryan Gomes and Dennis Horner as well Andrew Drevo left. Kristaps Valters also played for  a few months before having to pack his bags. All in all the club has been searching for a team chemistry and identity all season long, but have always had disturbances of players departing and coming. The team still is a very strong offensive team averaging 77 points per game, but could never go for a very long time with consecutive wins as they had a quick four game winning streak in the first month and after that four three game winning streaks. They actually did have some success against top teams as they beat Alba Berlin and even swept the Brose Baskets Bamberg including being only the third Beko BBL team to do in Bamberg since June 2010 which is definitely something to tell your grand kids. Dragons head coach Stefan Koch has a very strong 11 man rotation and even has started with German Acha Njei, a guy who was usually a garbage time player his whole career. With Branislav Rathkovica, who came recently, they have a classic point guard and with the guard trio of Bryce Taylor, Demond Mallet and Marquez Haynes possibly the best in the Beko BBL. The heart and soul of the team is German Johannes Strasser who is the ultimate team player. The center duo of Anthony King and Petar Popovic is solid and King belongs to the most underrated big men in the league. With Brad Buckman, the team has the perfect power forward who has stepped it up in the last weeks and will need to continue to get touches and shots. Their weakness is that they are still looking for their 100% team chemistry, but that may have been found as they ended the regular season with a three game winning streak beating Bamberg and the red hot Phoenix Hagen.

Ratiopharm Ulm swept the season series as Artland lost 80-69 at home after leading at halftime, but losing control in the second half and then being embarrassed in Ulm 88-60 as the game was already decided at halftime and Artland only mustered eight points in the fourth quarter. In the loss in Ulm, Artland was clobbered on the boards.  The duel of the game could be John Bryant-Anthony King. Bryant had Artland for dinner in both games as he scored combined 34 points and 27 rebounds. Artland has to find a way to somehow keep Bryant out of his comfort zone with aggressive post defense and denying him the ball, but that is easier said than done.  Both teams have very strong offensive teams and this could be a high scoring series and in the end it will be the team that decides to defend more consistently that will win. Artland needs to change the tempo of the game as well and get out running and try to get Bryant in foul trouble. German Daniel Theis who has been rumoured to have entered the 2013 NBA draft has developed well and even he could have big games if a Bryant has to sit down, not to forget the Egyptian tank Omar Samhan. The Artland Dragons also need a potent Branislav Rathkovica or this could be a short series. All in all ratiopharm is stronger  on offense, deeper and has John Bryant. They will be too much for the Artland Dragons and win the series 3-1.

If one had to choose one Beko BBL player that could challenge ex NBA player and sunny boy Casey Jacobsen´s professionalism and his identity rate to his team Brose Baskets Bamberg, then it wouldn´t take long to come up with EWE Baskets Oldenburg American Rickey Paulding. The Detroit native like Jacobson has lesser ties to the NBA than the California native in that he never played, but was drafted by his hometown Detroit Pistons. However Paulding is the kind of guy that can smile with the best of them when one mentions his good friend Jimmy Mckinney after  a game, but also unleash that focused and straight ahead look similar to the way one can observe on a Jacobson on the court. Recently Oldenburg played their last regular season game in Giessen as it was more of a Sunday stroll than any player needing to sweat hard as they easily dismantled them 90-59 and after the game, Paulding as usual was prepared to answer any questions and did like a professional. He and his team after the win were exerting a careful confident, but not arrogant type of body language with their task the Eurochallenge Final 4 in Izmir. Nobody wanted to admit it really, but in a way they were favorites and why shouldn´t they have been after they went undefeated in the regular season of the competition. It was so much more of a shock when they lost in the semi final to Krasiyaka 66-62. Oldenburg wanted so badly to win their second team title in their history, but the blow of not winning another hardware must have been as disappointing as it is for a Chevy car fan finding out that the car plant in Detroit only has Ford cars. Even if Oldenburg got third place beating French team Gravelines, there is no justice in that, but at least they still have the Beko BBL playoffs now.

So now the main focus for Oldenburg lies in the playoffs. The team led by 1995 Korac cup winner Sebastian Machowski as head coach came into the season as one of those teams that would be near the top and might be able to annoy some of the top teams. They didn´t disappoint anyone by finishing the regular season in second place and reaching the Eurochallenge final 4. During the season, they whipped up winning streaks of six, five, four and three games. They were able to sweep FC Bayern Munich, Alba Berlin, Artland Dragons and the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg. Oldenburg is a team that can put points on the board averaging 78 this season. They may have the best starting five in the league. Machowski did a good job this season making their defense stronger as the team gave up under 70 points 17 times, finally brought in a classic point guard with Dru Joyce and lets his players use as many options as possible within the individual qualities that each player possesses. Machowski really has a very versatile lineup with Joyce/Kramer at the pg position, maybe the best  shooting guard/small forward tandem in the Beko BBL with Julius Jenkins and Rickey Paulding, a good inside presence with experienced ex ACB American Adam Chubb and inside out player Ronny Burrell who showed Frankfurt why you can´t leave him open from the parking lot. The bench is also has stability, but not depth with ex Skyliners Konrad Wysocki and Dominik Bahiense De mello. Robin Smuelders was a big surprise and should could have won most improved player. Their biggest weakness could be the possibility of underachieving, because everything is possible with this team and also consistency on defense as they haven´t been as strong as in the first half of the season.

Who could forget the end to last season as the Telekom Baskets Bonn won a do or die game against Frankfurt on the last game day and then shocked Bamberg on the road in game one with an upset as Tony Gaffney and Andrej Mangold danced on the court celebrating just the second win in Bamberg in two years for any Beko BBL team. Even though Bonn had to fight to get into the playoffs, this season was a bit less unspectacular than last season, but they did beat FC Bayern Munich in OT, the second win in a row at home. Possibly the biggest headline this season wasn´t the play of Bonn, but the departure of Marquis Blakely. How much the departure of sniper Robert Vaden will effect the team now in the playoffs will be interesting to see. The season was pretty much up and down. Except for a five game winning streak in January/February and  a three game winning streak recently, the team didn´t have much to cheer about. Their two biggest highlights was sweeping ratiopaharm Ulm and beating Bamberg at home. Bonn is definitely a team with scorers, but that they would average 81 points per game as a team most certainly must have surprised some people. They scored over 80 points 17 times including 100 points or more five times and even out slugged Phoenix Hagen 103-101 which isn´t easy to do beating them at their game.  Their biggest strength and weapon is Jared Jordan. The team goes and sputters depending how he plays. It doesn´t matter if he is held scoreless in Trier, he still effected the game with 17 assists or if he needs to be a scorer against MBC with 21 points or does it combined scoring and playmaking against FC Bayern Munich with 19 points and 13 assists, Bonn wins.   However when he is shut down as he was in Frankfurt with two assists in 30 minutes, then Bonn is more prone to losing. Just the presence of dinosaur Chris Ensminger on the court or bench is  a plus even if his minutes were strongly reduced. Bonn has a strong offense that has deadly scorers like Benas Veikalis and Kyle Weems. The addition of American Jamel Mclean has been a huge spark as he needed little integration and has been very solid finishing very well near the rim. David Mccray and Andrej Mangold are aggressive defenders that make the game faster and make their transition game more effective. The biggest weakness was the departure of Robert Vaden who puts a dent into their scoring and their thin bench. German Jonas Wolfarth-Bottermann has made big strides, but the development of Fabian Thülig has stalled a bit with less minutes. Both will be needed to supply power in this series.

This will be an interesting series as you have the potent Oldenburg team against a weakened, but annoying Bonn team who will want to leave a lasting impression on this season. Oldenburg is the favorite in this series not only having the home court advantage, but because they have more talent and the deeper bench.  The duel of the game could be Kyle Weems vs Ronny Burrell. Weems will have to have a very good series, while Burrell who has the stronger supporting cast won´t have as much pressure to perform, but if he plays solid will be a thorn in the side of the Bonn defense. If Oldenburg can keep Jared Jordan from wheeling and dealing and making a mess in the Oldenburg defense then they will have good chances of easily winning this series. One can´t forget that the teams split the season series. Bonn showed how effective they can be when they defend beating Oldenburg 90-57 and keeping Lebron James friend Dru Joyce scoreless and paralyzed forcing him to six turnovers and keeping them to 32% from the field and 17% from outside and dominating the boards. Rebound work will also be key for Bonn in this series. In the return game, Bonn lost 84-74 in Oldenburg where they had a very bad shooting day. Bonn will have to defend with heart to make any kind of progress in this series. They will have to find a way to contain the Oldenburg inside game as well as their dangerous perimeter shooters. Oldenburg should be able to win this series 3-1.

The biggest news story in the German city of Hagen now is the success of basketball team Phoenix Hagen and them reaching their first playoffs in their short history. There have been quite a few surprises this season in the German basketball world like Tim Ohlbrecht reaching the NBA,  the immense quick rise of German Dennis Schroeder who might be sooner in the NBA than Davin White can sneak penetrate to the hoop or the rapid development of TBB Trier German center Andreas Seifert, but most likely the biggest surprise this season and biggest story is the consistent season of Phoenix Hagen and actually having the opportunity of playing in May. Three seasons ago, they were the laughing stock of the Beko BBL as not even a Michael hakim Jordan locker room tirade in Frankfurt could steer the club in the right direction. However no one is laughing at Phoenix Hagen anymore as the team has arrived in the Beko BBL playoffs and no one is prouder than the long thunderbird Bernd Kruel who is playing his 16^th season in Hagen.

Even if a certain basketball philosophy doesn´t work right away, one could take a shooters slump and just keep shooting and try try try again. The basketball style of Ingo Freyer and his club since reaching the Beko BBL in 2009 has been run and gun and just score more than their opponent. Phoenix Hagen has had massive shoot outs the last three seasons losing the most, but this season their incredible knack of scoring rose even more, but they also decided to play defense something which had been irrelevant in the past.  Larry Gordon has stressed all season long that we focus more on defense than our offense everyday. We know defense is what Wins. Phoenix Hagen reached the playoffs as the last team, but from all the teams that were fighting for that last spot, they definitely deserved it the most. They averaged a mind boggling 86 points per game and scored 80 points or more 21 times. They beat all the top teams in the Beko BBL, including Bamberg, Berlin and Oldenburg all in a row at home. There were times that they defended in a first class way keeping Oldenburg to 67 points and holding the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg to an average 67 points in the two games. Besides being a scoring machine and on certain nights being able to shoot out the lights of any team, they are also a very strong rebounding team despite being a smaller type of shooting team. Larry Gordon is one of the most underrated rebounders in the Beko BBL. He gives the word effort a new definition when hauling down rebounds. Another strength of the club is that their starting five of Davin White, David Bell, Larry Gordon, Adam Hess and Dino Gregory never missed a game playing all 34 games. Another strength is how the self confidence of the team has risen game by game. Knowing that they beat Bamberg at home will motivate them, but stealing a game in Bamberg is easier said than done and is like telling Anton Gavel to never defend again which is unlikely. Weaknesses of Phoenix Hagen is their bench. Their starters make 62 of the team 86 points, so the club is very dependent on their starting five something the Nordlingen Giants also were in the 2008-2009 season in the Beko BBL. The club have solid back ups with Mark Dorris, Abe Lodwick and Ole Wendt, but that’s about it. One can´t forget Bernd Kruel who is the Chris Ensminger of Hagen who is 36 and keeps coming back each season and can still bang with the best of them.

For the Brose Baskets Bamberg, it was another typical Beko BBL regular season as they finished in first place with a record of 25-8, but it was the most loses that they had since their first Beko BBL title in their three peat 2009-2010 as they lost 12 games. In the last two seasons 2010-2012 they only lost six games. With their nine game losing streak in March with Beko BBL/Euroleague games, it was obvious that Bamberg wasn´t that invincible team that they once were. One can´t forget that they also had much misfortune in the Euroleague losing many games by fewer than five points. Despite having winning streaks of eight and 11 games and winning 19 of 20 games in the Beko BBL, the Euroleague travel did have a strain on them as they lost three games in a row to weaker competition like Phoenix Hagen and the Fraport Skyliners. Injuries to guys like John Goldsberry, Matt Walsh, Maik Zirbes and Andrew Ogily disrupted the building of the team chemistry as well as the coming and going of players like Teddy Gipson. Jeremiah Massey also was unable to live up to the expectations of manager Wolfgang Heyder and had to go.  Despite all the drama this season, the Brose Baskets Bamberg are still the team to beat. They have the second best offense and have a strong core of scorers with Casey Jacobsen, Bostjan Nachbar, Anton Gavel, Sharod Ford, and Matt Walsh and belong to the best on defense giving up an average of 73,0ppg. They continue to play with a lot of discipline and like FC Bayern Munich like that quick offense where their amazing quick ball movement gets good shots fast. They also have the ability to find the mismatches and use them. They continue to play with the heart of a lion led by ex NBA player Casey Jacobson who still is the most professional player in the league. The key duel of the series could be Anton Gavel against Davin White who led the Beko BBL in scoring. Both players are their teams MVP. If White is shut down which is seldom, then Phoenix Hagen may still win, but in a five series against Phoenix Hagen, they will need the production of White. White has led the team all season long and he sparks his teammates. Gavel does everything for Bamberg and even if he seems to have been burned out a bit in the last months, Bamberg needs their spark plug to be on each night. The two teams split the season series 1-1 as Phoenix Hagen played their typical run and gun and forced the five time champion Bamberg to their style of having shoot outs. Bamberg will have to defend a lot better especially the three as Phoenix Hagen shot 20/45 in the two games.  If Phoenix Hagen wants to have any chance then they will have to defend and find a way to get around the Bamberg keen ability of using the mismatches. Bamberg should play pick and roll and just push the ball inside more, because despite Hagen having strong defender Dino Gregory, he can´t cover the whole paint. Bamberg has had a long season and are used to the grind and just have so much more experience then does a Phoenix Hagen. This is a series where anything can happen. I could see Bamberg sweeping, but also going to five games , but in the end Chris Fleming will display a smile because Bamberg will win this series, but Phoenix Hagen will not make life easy for Bamberg and this is the perfect opponent for Bamberg to get warmed up for the winner of the Berlin-Munich series. Phoenix Hagen will fight until they fall over, but Bamberg will just be too strong and too experienced and clip the wings of the Phoenix Hagen thunderbird even if it will take a fight.

There is always something happening in FC Hollywood or also known as FC Bayern Munich soccer team as they aren´t only the most famous sports team in Germany, have the best  talented and expensive players, but also are used to mostly having success. The last two weeks have been sheer excitement as the team blew out FC Barcelona at home and then advanced to the Champions league final against German team Borussia Dortmund. With all this fuss happening with the soccer team, one may get a bit distracted from the basketball department FC Bayern Munich, but they quietly have reached their second playoffs in a row. There are thousands of bitter and unwanted things that have occurred in the Beko BBL this season for teams and players for instance Bamberg having so much misfortune and losing many close games in the Euroleague, a Jimmy Mckinney getting injured again a thing that unfortunately has plagued him throughout his career, a player like American Robert Vaden being released right before the playoffs hurting the playoff chances of the Telekom Baskets Bonn,  Frankfurt losing in Oldenburg this season on  a botched in bound play in the last seconds of the game or a traditional Beko BBL team like Giessen having financial woes, losing half their roster getting beat often by 40 points and then having to move down to the Pro A. With the post season starting, not only FC Bayern Munich have some misfortune, but also 8 time Beko BBL champion Alba Berlin who have to face each other in the quarterfinals of the playoffs in the best of five series. Both teams don´t have any time to waste to ponder about their calamity, but need to get prepared as quickly as possible for the most exciting head to head competition in the first round of the playoffs.

After finishing last season their first in the Beko BBL since returning from the second division in fifth place with a record of 22-12, they couldn´t make any real ground this season despite having the command from upstairs to improve their standings situation finishing in fourth place with a record of 21-13. One can´t forget that the team had massive turmoil shortly before the start of the season as ex German national coach Dirk Bauermann was let go and they didn´t name Svetisslav Pesic until December when he took over a 5-5 team. They did lose in the first game under his guidance in Berlin, but then as if a nasty cold Serbian wind had followed and blew away the next opponents won seven games in a row including the first four with 100 plus points and 11 of 12 wins. It didn´t take Svetislav Pesic long to cradle his wan and put his stamp on how the team was to play. Disciplined, hard defense, quick sets on offense with the first open shot to be taken and unending freedom for his players was key to the success. The team did let up a bit in the last two months having a record of 5-6 and losing in the cup against Alba Berlin. Their biggest problem in the stretch drive was losing too many close games like with two points to Bremerhaven, with three to Tuebingen, four to Artland and three to Oldenburg. With three wins more, they would have an easier time now with the Vaden less Telekom Baskets Bonn.  Their biggest wins of the season were against Bamberg and ratiopharm Ulm and they had a 1-2 record against Alba Berlin.  Fc Bayern Munich has an incredible roster with possibly the best three man big man rotation in the league with Jared Homan, Chevon Troutman and Lawrence Roberts. Tyrese Rice is belongs to the top point guards and with Brandon Thomas an allrounder at the shooting guard position. Pesic  has his freedom to pick from top talented German players like Robin Benzing, Jan Jagla, Stefen Hamann and Demond Greene. Top Israel player Yotam Halperin has been somewhat of a disappointment, but he can explode at anytime. It is always sweet when you have two starting five teams plus an 11^th man like Aleksandar Nadjfeji that can still gun the ball out of the post to the open shooter. The biggest strength of FC Bayern Munich  is their famous and experienced coach, deep roster and combination of lethal offense(83 points per game) and rebounding(37 per game).

Times weren´t easy for the organization or fans of Alba Berlin when the last time they were Beko BBL champion was 2008 and cup winner in 2009. Three seasons title less is about as difficult and grueling as trying to find your way through Berlin without a navigation system. However club and fans finally shared that winning feeling again when they won the 2013 Beko BBL cup in the O2 arena beating ratiopharm Ulm. The team has at least won one title, but a player like Dashaun Wood is still hungry for more hardware  as is his team despite going 4-4 after winning the cup. Last season Alba Berlin finished third with a record of 26-8, but weren´t as productive this season finishing in fifth place with a 20-14 record which most likely added a few months on the body of tough head coach Sasa Obradovic who can yell and scream with the best of them. From the view of Alba Berlin except for a strong stretch in the first half of the season where they won eight games in a row, it was a very inconsistent Beko BBL season as they weren´t able to string together more than a two game winning streak the rest of the way. Their biggest wins were beating Bamberg at home and in Bamberg in Euroleague play. One of the reasons for the demise of the team in the second half was the injury to Vule Avdalovic who was the guy that kept the team together. Obradovic put together another strong team keeping Dashaun Wood who had less of an offensive role this season due to the many scorers, but was able to focus more on defense. Berlin has a very solid trio under the hoop with Yassin Idbihi, ACB veteran Albert Miralles and French man Ali Traore who recently got injured and will be lost for the season. Deon Thompson who still has aspirations of the NBA will have to help out even more under the basket. The unsung hero of the team is Zach Morely who has a lethal inside out game. German national player Heiko Schaffartzik  is at home at any parking lot and will shoot over the meter maid if necessary and Nihad Djedovic can score in bunches and take over a game at anytime. The club picked up insurance down the stretch with Americans Derrick in flight Byers and 2009 Beko BBL champion Je Kel Foster. Experienced Sven Schultze is the bench leader, isn´t afraid of anyone and can still hit the clutch three pointer. Alba Berlin also has a potent offense averaging 79 points per game and are always good for many points as they scored 80 plus points 20 times. They also do a great job taking care of the ball as they have the least turnovers in the league and are the best at hitting free throws at 80%. The biggest weakness of Alba Berlin is their outside shooting as they were third worst in the Beko BBL this season.

This is the most exciting series in the quarterfinals and should go the distance, but FC Bayern Munich has the home court advantage. The match up of the series with be the two top points guards Tyrese Rice and Dashaun Wood. Rice is a player that loves the big time moments in crunch time and is just unstoppable when he has to be while the danger with Wood is that he loves these type of challenges where he can shine and even if he is far from his Beko BBL MVP season of 2011, he can get hot and change a game at anytime. This makes him very unpredictable and extreme perilous since his main focus is playmaking now, but as soon as he sees the hole, he will be gone before Obradovic can yell road runner. Key for Alba Berlin will be to match the physicality of FC Bayern Munich which will be a real task with monsters like Homan and Roberts sitting in the paint. On offense they should use the pick and role option more to stifle the slower Munich big men and get them into foul trouble. FC Bayern Munich should test the Alba Berlin shooting early and if they aren´t on play zone and let them shoot. FC Bayern Munich also should run a lot and try to wear down Alba Berlin since their bench is thinner than that of FC Bayern Munich. If Alba Berlin can steal one in Munich right away, then that will only be an advantage. This series will go five games with an emotional fifth game in Munich. FC Bayern Munich have the 1-0 series lead and now it is time for Alba Berlin to strike back in game two. Dashaun Wood took over a game in 2011-2012 in Munich carrying Alba Berlin to a big win in the Audi Dome and will burning with fire in this series to repeat glory.