Franklin was rewarded by getting his first minutes in the wanning minutes of the game. "It was a lot of fun today. There was so much energy in the stadium and I`m always ready to play, if it`s 1 minute or 20 minutes", said an overjoyed Kavossy Franklin.
The game showed two different types of teams: the defending champion OPEL SKYLINERS playing like a champion team and the seven time champion ALBA Berlin playing like a low ranked BBL team. "This was not the Berlin team that we know from videos and games. They were not focused today. Coach Rödel has done a great job, but today was not their game. I am sure they will come back strong in the next game", said a surprised assistant coach Simon Cote after the game. "We really expected ALBA Berlin to be better. They lost a few players, but that is no excuse. We played great and are always getting better and I hope this continues in the next games", said guard Spyro Panteliadis.
The beginning of the game was a close battle, but soon the OPEL SKYLINERS were able to distance themselves from ALBA Berlin and never lost the lead again. At one point, Frankfurt led by 36 points. The OPEL SKYLINERS showcased their powerful offense, but their defense was equally as impressive. "We played great team defense. We showed a lot of hustle getting loose balls and getting steals", said forward Jukka Matinen. "Our defense was really aggressive and we will need that for the playoffs", said Ibrahim Diarra.
The offense of the OPEL SKYLINERS is beginning to really gel. It is not often that a team is able to explode for two 100 point games in a row. The point production was well distributed again. Captain Pascal Roller and American Chris Williams led the team with 21 points. Roller continues to show why he was the MVP of the BBL last year and why he is such an important player for Frankfurt. "Pascal is one of the smartest players in the league and is a justified team leader", said a happy Simon Cote. Mladjen Sljivancanin contributed 17 points and Spyro Panteliades scored 15 points. In the second half, Pascal Roller did not shoot as much, otherwise he would have scored more points. "In the second half, ALBA Berlin mixed up their defense. They played a lot of zone and we were ready for that. We went a lot inside and that worked, so I didn´t have to shoot as much", said captain Pascal Roller.
ALBA Berlin also had a fine distribution in their scoring, but it was not enough as they never really had a chance in this game. American Michael Wright led the team with 19 points. American playmaking guard Gerald Brown scored 16 points and was not happy with this effort. "They beat us. They were more aggressive, more motivated and more excited and we were not", said a very dissapointed Gerald Brown. It was very surprising that the two big men Jovo Stanojevic, who mustered 12 points, and Szymon Szwczyk, who scored 11 points, did not make more of a difference in this game. "They played harder than we did", said forward Michael Wright.
With the playoffs creeping closer, the OPEL SKYLINERS are looking more and more ready for making a return visit to the final. The next game against Bamberg will not be a cakewalk, but the team is begining to really get together. "The win against ALBA Berlin was a total team effort, everyone contributed. Players from the bench like Spyro, Mladjen and Bernd Kruel had a super game. The performance gives the whole team the feeling that it was a success by the whole team and that can help us mentally for the next game against Bamberg", said a very focused Pascal Roller. The OPEL SKYLINERS also demonstrated some things against ALBA Berlin that, if continued, could make their road to the final easier. "I was really happy by our fast break baskets, number of steals, number of free throws and our attacking of the rim", said a overjoyed Simon Cote. The next important game for the OPEL SKYLINERS is Wednesday, March 16 in Bamberg at 20:00. With a win against Bamberg, there will be no doubt that the OPEL SKYLINERS can play for the championship. "They are a good team. They won the championship last year and still have pretty much the same players. Whoever wins this year will have to earn it", said a respectful Gerald Brown. The OPEL SKYLINERS are on a healthy path towards earning it.
Miles Schmidt-Scheuber reporting for the OPEL SKYLINERS
