For the second straight week in Eurochallenge play, The Deutsche Bank Skyliners had their backs to the wall and were as desperate to win as Besiktas Istanbul fans are for an answer how the club can bow out of Eurocup play with an Allen Iverson on board and why the NBA legend wants to depart, for the Gloris Giants Duesseldorf starting a new long winning streak in the BEKO BBL so Murat Didin can go into 2011 with a new motivation and The Giessen 46ers getting back to their winning ways since suffering a seven game losing streak so the mascot son Fabi of Fabius will not be more apt to be scared away by the more increasingly angry fans with the more loses that arise. However, The Deutsche Bank Skyliners had more stress than just their backs to the wall as they entered a meaningless game, because Maccabi Haifa had been unable to beat BK Ventspils losing 99-62 thus dashing the hopes of Frankfurt of being able to advance, because BK Ventspils had to win the game. Frankfurt won a hard fought physical game against BC Khimik Yuzhny 72-60, but had mixed emotions at the end. “The whole outcome is a real disappointment. We didn´t know the result of Macabbi Haifa going into the game. We went into the game wanting to win. We fought very hard and got incredible support by the fans. We had a lot of misfortune losing two games by one point. If only I would of made my free throws. It was a great experience for me and the team and its too bad that our travel had to end like this in the Eurochallenge”, stressed Skyliner center Marius Nolte.

(more…)

Sometimes when a team has nothing to lose, they are uncaged  and able to perform with pressure as if it was the easiest thing in the world to master like it is eating a hot fudge sundae. Despite having to win their last two Eurochallenge games, The Deutsche Bank Skyliners played as if pressure was as distant as Antarctica is and were as motivated to win against BK Ventspils as Santa Claus is to carry out beautiful presents to all kids in the world, Tom Brady is winning and bringing that fourth Super Bowl trophy back to New England this season, The San Antonio Spurs wanting to win another NBA championship with the big three of Tim Duncan, Mano Ginobili and Tony Parker and Gekas of Eintracht Frankfurt is to not leaving the field after 90 minutes without scoring. It was another very hard fought game, but The Deutsche Bank Skyliners took the toughness from the Phoenix Hagen win and transformed into the BK Ventspils game escaping with a 72-71 win and winning the two game series against the Latvian team. Despite having pressure, Frankfurt dealt with it without getting negatively effected by it. “We had a lot of pressure and couldn´t afford to have little mistakes. We knew that we only had a slim chance to advance so we had to win. We are 2-0 against BK Ventspils which will help us advance if we are tied at 3-3 after next week”, stressed Skyliner guard Dashaun Wood. “Frankfurt played like as if they had their backs to the wall. They executed and my hat goes off to them. Their win reminds me a bit of when I played at UCONN and we were down by 8 points with 2.51 minutes to play against Duke in the NCAA Final 4 and we came back to win”, commented 2004 NCAA champion Rashad Anderson. In a long basketball season, every team needs the basketball god and luck. Frankfurt had been a bit neglected with luck in the losses in Haifa and Yunzy, but had fortune on their side against BK Ventspils. “Frankfurt had a little luck winning this game. BK Ventspils made a huge mistake at the end where Ingus Bankevics was on the rim and Frankfurt got to in bound the ball at the other end with 3,4 seconds to play. However Wood showed that he had nerves and made his free throws. That was simply quality”, stated ex EnBW Ludwigsburg coach Silvano Poropat. Frankfurt is on a one game winning streak in close victories and would love to keep that streak going even if it isn´t realistic. “This was an important win. Winning close games like this will help us later in the season. Of course it would be nice to win all close games that we are in, but it just doesn´t work like that in basketball”, warned Skyliner sport director Kamil Novak. “That was a very bitter loss. We had the game in our hands and then we lose like that. I am very angry and upset now”, warned Rashad Anderson. “The key to the win was that we never gave up. They are a smart team, but we never quit”, stressed Dashaun Wood.

(more…)

Maccabi Haifa may not have the name, tradition or player personal of neighbor Maccabi Tel Aviv, but the club has proved this season that they can beat any team on any day and have made a fine transition to the Premier league similar to how Phoenix Hagen is slowly making a name in the BEKO BBL in the early going, BBC Bayreuth American Jaivon Harrs making a solid jump from the German PRO A to the BEKO BBL and showing his potent basketball skill or Formula one German racer Nico Hulkenberg making his mark as a rookie this season as he was the first German racer getting a pole position in his first season. Maccabi Haifa displayed a calm and cool head down the stretch in the fourth quarter that they can beat teams in Israel, France or Germany as they defeated The Deutsche Bank Skyliners 83-78 in the first Eurochallenge game in Frankfurt. “The Israel league is tough. Maccabi tel Aviv has a lot of tradition and history and are always in the final game. I think that we can give them  a good game this season. I would put us in the top half of the league in israel. We hope to keep moving up ladder and getting as good as Maccabi Tel Aviv”, warned 22 year old Maccabi Haifa American Derrick Low. Skyliner forward Roger Powell who played in Israel a few years ago and was lauded in the best merits from Maccabi Haifa management didn´t have to think much about what a Maccabi Haifa can do in Israel. “In Israel any team can beat anyone. Maccabi Tel Aviv is a great team while Maccabi Haifa is a decent team.You can´t take any team for granted in the Israel league”, warned ex NBA player Roger Powell.

(more…)