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Jun 13, 2009, 7:07 pm
ALBA's didn't have enough passion left after their long season, including EL Top16 participation, which was their highlight. When that happens, a team of nine Americans and three Germans, a young, hungry, incredibly passionate group, can take you down. Especially if you commit additional mistakes, which ALBA clearly did. It already started in their long first round series against Paderborn, which they needed five games for. As a consequence they were tired in Game 1 against Bonn, lost that one, clearly lost Game 2 due to own mistakes in Bonn [Pavicevic got T'd up 2 minutes before the end, which Bonn used to get their first lead - but that was only one of the many mistakes], then they dominated in Game 3 and 4 to come back, and Game 5 was Bonn's best game of the season. They hit from everywhere. So, lucky but somehow deserved win for Bonn, they just played their hearts out.
Overall the level of play hasn't increased, not at all. Too americanised, bad coaching, more like a US minor league than a European league. ALBA is the only team which plays really nice, structured offense. We had Bamberg a few years ago when they were still coached by Bauermann, they were defensive minded but also disciplined on offense. But that's about it. Bundesliga was really watchable around 2003-2005, when the old foreigner rules still existed. Remember that Kaukenas, Aleks. Nadjfeji, Capin, Aleks. Radojevic [cough], Nnamaka, DeJuan Collins, Mat. Mamic, Spencer Nelson, Kasun, Milisavljevic, Eidson, Stanojevic, Michael Wright, Szewczik, Janicenoks, Rencher, Helmanis, Mallet, Gortat, Sasa Obradovic, Marko Pesic, Tyrone Ellis all played in the league during that timespan. It was a good level. It all started going downhill when they opened the floodgates for the American market in 05/06, and I don't see any improvement soon.
Overall the level of play hasn't increased, not at all. Too americanised, bad coaching, more like a US minor league than a European league. ALBA is the only team which plays really nice, structured offense. We had Bamberg a few years ago when they were still coached by Bauermann, they were defensive minded but also disciplined on offense. But that's about it. Bundesliga was really watchable around 2003-2005, when the old foreigner rules still existed. Remember that Kaukenas, Aleks. Nadjfeji, Capin, Aleks. Radojevic [cough], Nnamaka, DeJuan Collins, Mat. Mamic, Spencer Nelson, Kasun, Milisavljevic, Eidson, Stanojevic, Michael Wright, Szewczik, Janicenoks, Rencher, Helmanis, Mallet, Gortat, Sasa Obradovic, Marko Pesic, Tyrone Ellis all played in the league during that timespan. It was a good level. It all started going downhill when they opened the floodgates for the American market in 05/06, and I don't see any improvement soon.