In cities like Hagen, Tubingen and Trier reaching the Beko BBL playoffs the last years has been as difficult as understanding why Kobe Bryant wants to be the Wil Smith of the NBA and possibly making his former on court nemsis Ron Artest his Jada Pinket , Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan finding any type of positive publicity in the last year, Rocker Marilyn Manson without makeup for once actually being recognized for who he is and not hearing the annoying words “I know you, but can´t quite pinpoint the name”, or shock radio host Howard Stern refraining for a day from featuring sexy women in his show and rather focusing a show on the Chippendales. However since the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven moved up to the Beko BBL in 2005, they have reached the playoffs five out of six seasons and haven´t had to frequent the cafes, check out if its warm enough to swim in the North sea in May or take a trip to the zoo to see exactly how the cute Polar bears live when a basketball isn´t bouncing. The team has been very consistent finishing fourth twice, sixth once and two eight places getting into the back door of the playoffs. The only time that Bremerhaven didn’t reach the playoffs was in the 2008-2009 season where they finished in 18^th place despite having basketball talent like Jared Reiner, Marcus Slaughter, Zygimantas Jonusas or Giordan Watson. Maybe its something in the air, the delicious fish dishes or just the coaching style of head coach Doug Spradley who has led the team into the Beko BBL playoffs the last two seasons and seems on a straight line back to the promised land as his club rests at position six at the moment. Torrell Martin leads his team to success and when he takes lift off into the zone, he approaches the rim like a combination of Russell Westbrock and Demar Derozan and seems like a malnourished human being wanting to get his seven course meal from chef Wolfgang Puck as a reward after dunking home the ball. If there is one player that can match his flights and or defend Martin then it is Quantez Super Tez Robertson who should be up to the challenge to keeping the American on the ground.

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With Valentines Day only 48 hours away and some of the thoughts of the players surely contemplating roses, a box of tasty chocolate or a special off weekend trip to Paris with their significant other, however The Deutsche Bank Skyliners still had to focus on the matter at hand getting a win in the always tough Eisbaeren den and showed another top performance on defense bringing back memories to the outstanding win against The Telekom baskets Bonn three days earlier in the cup game. “We went into this game in Bremerhaven wanting to take the defense intensity from the last game. We want to keep it up in the next game splaying defense like this, because we know when we defend like that, that we will always have good chnaces to win”, stressed Skyliner shooting guard Jimmy Mckinney. “Frankfurt was able to get their offense going off their defense while we were unable to let our defense control our offense. Frankfurt slowed down the game and we played into their hands. We simply did not play the way that we should have”, stated Eisbaeren American Torrell Martin.
The Deutsche Bank Skyliners probably still had fond memories of their June 3rd, 2010 game 5 semi final win in the back of their heads while the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven didn´t have sweet memories, but most players weren´t admiting it except Jimmy Mckinney a bit. “Game five was a great win last season, but its  anew season with a new system and new play how we play. I didn´t think too much on that game last season”, explained Jimmy Mckinney. “I didnt think about that game five loss one bit”, stressed German national player Philipp Schwethelm. “I didnt think of game five one bit”, added Torrell Martin. “Nobody had game 5 on their mind”, stated Skyliner sport director Kamil Novak. The current BEKO BBL top scorer Dashaun Wood didnt let any past successful experiences by his team get him out of his rhythm. “I heard about the game five game from last season. These two teams seem to have  a great rivalry and there seems to be tension. It was important that we got a jump early and was able to set the tone. We got the momentum early and it carried us”, warned Dashaun Wood.

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June 3, 2010 might seem like any date in late spring, but for The Deutsche Bank Skyliners, this date might not be plastered in their memory banks like June 17th which was their game 5 final loss in Bamberg, but that date should remain a sweet retrospective as Frankfurt had won an emotional tear jerking game five 56-52 in the semi finals of the 2010 BEKO BBL playoffs. The Deutsche Bank Skyliners return to the Stadthalle this weekend for a regular season showdown as some Skyliners like Quantez Robertson, Pascal Roller, Domonic Bahiense De Mello or Jimmy Mckinney could have the memories of 7 lead changes in the fourth quarter, a gigantic mouth watering three point bomb from the Bremerhaven harbor from Super Tez or the two nail bitting clutch free throws from Alabama native Derrick Allen with five seconds to play to seal a final playoff ticket with the Brose Baskets Bamberg. Despite this monumental win last season in game five, June 3 will be far away as February 12th will be like any other regular season game with two teams just fighting for a win to help secure that playoff spot way down the long and winding BEKO BBL road as it will be a normal day at the office for both teams the same it is for actors Boston born and bred Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson going to work on the movie “We bought a zoo, American author John Grisham putting pen to paper or fingers to key board on a new book or singer Jay Z taking his net worth over 450 million into the studio for work on a new track. Despite the memories of the game five win, the team should be focused 100% and it wasnt like Paris Hilton or Rihanna had interrupted the game with a squabble and cat fight on the floor which would probably never escape anyone had they witnessed that. “I dont think that game 5 is in their mind at all, I think that they are just going out and trying to get a win. That was last season and they are just going to go out and try to solidify a good seed for the playoffs and play hard. Yes for sure you cant help but think about times that were successful for you as a player. I think about Bremerhaven still to this day but I’m here now and when you step on the court to represent your new team all of that is out the window”, stressed TBB Trier guard John Bynum.

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The Deutsche Bank Skyliners surely remember how powerful and overwhelming Eisbaeren point guard Louis Campbell was last season, but with his departure last summer, his missing deadly penetration was evident in the play of the team and similar as if NFL Clubs didn´t have to witness last minute comeback Drives from New England Patriot Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant missing in the Lakers attack and taking a night off and sitting next to actor Jack Nicholson in the first row talking movies or German National player Miro Klose not scoring any more goals in international games as he is currently as hot putting the ball in the net as is Papiss Demba Cisse is for SC Freiburg in the German Bundesliga, but Frankfurt not only didn´t have to worry about Lou Campbell anymore, but neither about new starting point guard Donald Copeland who was 550 Kilometers away in Bremerhaven nursing an injury as they had little problem winning their second home game 81-66 against The Eisbaeren Bremerhaven. The absence of Copeland showed quickly as Bremerhaven had no rhythm or flow in their offense, but Frankfurt showed they could do it at both ends of the court. “They had misfortune having to play without Copeland, but that is part of the game. They had to fight without Copeland and change their rhythm, but we were without Tez, Dabbert and Muurinen. We have been fighting hard the first four games and played good defense, but today we played both defense and offense well. If a team can plan both offense and defense well then you will have good chances to win. We hope to continue to keep playing like this”, stressed Skyliner point guard Dashaun Wood. Bremerhaven never got their offense going without their starting point guard Copeland. “We didn´t have Copeland and Canty hasnt´t really practiced much with us. It was hard to get a chemistry. It was tough as Schwethelm was playing out of position. These things happen and we couldn´t adjust”, commented Eisbaeren guard Jermaine Thomas. Maybe it wasn´t only the absence of Copeland that helped the Skyliners, but the batman shirt of Mckinney that he was sporting after the game. “The brother of my fiancee is a huge Batman fan. I don´t know if a bat scared the polar bears, but you never know, bats can be very vicious. they come out of nowhere and swoope down on you”, laughed Austin native Brad Buckman.

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For some Eisbaeren Bremerhaven like Torell Martin or Andrew Drevo recalling the big three pointer by Quantez Robertson or the giant free throws by Derrick Allen in last seasons game five playoff game down the stretch might have stayed as vividly in their heads as child hood memories when they unearthed that first Alex Rodriguez or Ken Griffey Jr rookie Topps baseball card, seeing Michael Jordan win that third consecutive NBA title in 1993, football hero OJ Simpson being chauffered down Highway 10 in downtown Los Angeles by buddy Al Cowlings or remembering the day where they were when singer Kurt Cobain died. The long series last June where The Deutsche Bank Skyliners beat The Eisbaeren Bremerhaven in  along and dramatic five games series could be on their minds as well as other players like Germans Phillip Schwethelm and Jan Lipke. Last season, the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven went from 18th place the season before to finishing in th place in the regular season and were close to tasting some possible early champagne for reaching the final the same way Lebron James can everyday the Atlantic Ocean in Miami as the team of passionate coach Doug Spradley lost 57-52 in a tense series. “the loss to Skyliners still hasn´t gone away. It was tough losing and I felt we played good enough to win, but we just didn´t play to our level. I don’t only have the three pointer and free throws swirling in my head, but many many plays from that fifth game”, stressed Eisbaeren American Torrell Martin. That game five loss is now nearly four months old and a new season has started so whatever happens in this game wont necessarily be remembered next May. “Game five might be in their heads for some players and they may want payback which is only human, but the season is long and can be a struggle, but this game on Sunday wont define their season”, stressed former Artland Dragons assistant coach Jamie Duncan. Torrell Martin surely will be giving an extra 110% on Sunday despite it only being the fourth game of the new season for Bremerhaven. “I can´t say if it is a type of revenge, but there could be some emphasis. Nobody has been talking about that game 5 loss, but it is in our heads”, added Torrell Martin.

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