Coach Didin stuck with his top players most of the game, which could have been risky, but the players showed that they were in great shape. "It really was not intended to play so few players, but the guys just played great and it worked out the best for us", said a very happy assistant coach Simon Cote on the trainride home from Berlin to Frankfurt.
In the first quarter, it looked like the OPEL SKYLINERS were getting back into old habits with poor starts, as Alba Berlin took a 11 to 2 lead with a three-pointer by Stefano "Nino" Garris. The beginning nervousness of Frankfurt started to wane, as they found a groove with a three-pointer by Pascal Roller to end the first quarter with a 19 to 18 lead. In the second quarter, Frankfurt strated to distance themselves from Alba Berlin with a 15 to 4 run after a Malick Badiane two-pointer, which gave them the lead 36 to 25. Coach Didin surprised everyone by making Jukka Matinen the center. The small Frankfurt line-up posed big problems for Alba Berlin and they were never able to get seriously back into the game. "We had a good start, but then Frankfurt started to play very well and our defense let up and we missed the easy shots. To play like this at home was not acceptable", said a sad Alba Berlin guard Mithat Demirel.
The OPEL SKYLINERS continued to dominate the third quarter, as they went on a 10 to 2 run at the end with two consecutive three-pointers by American Tyrone Ellis. Frankfurt had a comfortable lead 61 to 45 after three quarters Ellis was not only happy about his own performance, but also of that of the team. "The key to this victory was great team defense and team rebounding." The fourth quarter was quite even, but the lead of Frankfurt was too big for Alba Berlin to come back.
The OPEL SKYLINERS were led by captain Pascal Roller, who scored 23 points, had four three-pointers and five steals. "This win was a real team effort. I think our game rhythm that we had against the Artland Dragons worked well for us", said captain Pascal Roller. Dallas native Tyrone Ellis had his best game of 2005, scoring 21 points, including three three-pointers, five assists and a team-high eight rebounds. "Tyrone is back. He is on the right path. He played with a lot of team confidence tonight and that carried over to the team", expressed a proud Pascal Roller. American Chris Williams scored 20 points and hauled down six rebounds.
The unsung hero of the game was center Malick Badiane, who played the majority of the game because Bernd Kruel fouled out early, seems to be enjoying the warm temperatures in Germany. He scored 11 points and hauled down 5 rebounds. Even though Alba Berlin won the rebounding duel 35 to 29, Frankfurt did a great job containing the big guy Jovo Stanojevic. Guard Spyro Pantelidis had to leave the game in the first quarter after a unlucky collision with a Alba Berlin player, but is was not serious. Panteliadis will be back in the line-up in game two.
Alba Berlin was led by American guard Gerald Brown, who had 14 points. The strong defense was one reason for the low point total of Alba Berlin, but they also shot only 42% from the field and even worse from three-point land with 25%. Jovo Stanojevic scored only 11 points and got five rebounds. Even though there are many critics, who applaud the play of Stanojevic, there are others who think he is overrated. Assistant Coach Simon Cote has the utmost respect for the big guy. "Stanojevic is a great low post player. He definitely deserves the positive publicity. He did not play well today, but he is still a great player." Szymon Szewczyk continues to show more and more that he is a good alternative to Stanojevic with a fine game, scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. German gaurd Stefano "Nino" Garris could only produce nine points as he got into foul trouble.
The OPEL SKYLINERS have taken a comfortable 1-0 lead in the best of five series and have regained control of the homecourt advantage. But the Frankfurt players know too well, that being overconfident is the wrong path to go. "Alba Berlin is a good team. We have to continue to play together as a team. This series is far from over. Alba Berlin will come back with a lot of energy in game two", warned American Tyrone Ellis. Many were sceptical about the OPEL SKYLINERS chances of getting past Alba Berlin, but coach Murat Didin had said that his guys match up well against Alba Berlin. Frankfurt has won two games in a row against Alba Berlin and their chances of winning at home look good as their self-confidence will be soaring after the win in Berlin and their March rout. Game two is Thursday, June 2 in the Ballsporthalle at 18:45.
Miles Schmidt-Scheuber reporting for the OPEL SKYLINERS
