German League Finals, Game 1: June 8, 2008
|
Alba Berlin took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five German League final playoff series by downing Telekom Baskets Bonn 78-69 at Max Schmeling Halle in the German capital on Sunday afternoon. Telekom hosts Game 2 on Wednesday with the chance to tie the series, while Alba would have the chance to sweep the series at home if it wins in Bonn. Former Telekom Bonn superstar Aleksandar Nadjfeji and Bobby Brown paced the winners each with 19 points. Nadjfeji had 8-for-10 two-pointers and pulled down a game-high 8 rebounds. Julius Jenkins added 14 points while Immanuel McElroy had 13 for Alba. Ronnie Burrell led Bonn with 16 points. Bernd Kruel added 14 while Miah Davis and Winsome Frazier each had 12 for the guests. Alba got a 39-30 lead at halftime and managed to keep a safe edge until the final buzzer.
Alba had a strong start but Davis, Frazier and a dunk by Kruel kept Bonn close, 9-8, midway through the opening quarter. Brown struck from downtown and fed Patrick Femerling for an easy basket, good for a 17-11 Alba lead. Nadjfeji had 8 straight points to keep Alba ahead, 25-19, after 10 minutes. Bonn improved its defense early in the second quarter but Alba found a go-to guy in Goran Nikolic to get a 37-26 margin. Davis and Burrell brought Bonn within 39-30 at halftime. Free throws by Kruel got the guests even closer, 42-38, after the break. Nadjfeji kept pacing Alba while Brown and Dragan Dojcin allowed the hosts to keep a safe margin, 53-47, at the end of the third quarter. McElroy took over early in the fourth period while a layup by Jenkins made it an 11-point game, 60-49, with 6 minutes to go. Brown stepped up to make Alba seal the outcome, 64-54, down the stretch.
| Finals Playoffs, best of 5 games |
| Record | Team | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | | 1 | Alba Berlin (1) | 78 | June 11 | June 15 | *June 17 | * June 19 | | 0 | Telekom Baskets (7) | 69 | - | - | - | - |
| Finals games | | Game 1 | Alba Berlin vs. Telekom Baskets | 78-69 | June 8 | | Game 2 | Telekom Baskets vs. Alba Berlin | - | June 11 | | Game 3 | Alba Berlin vs. Telekom Baskets | - | June 15 | | Game 4 | Telekom Baskets vs. Alba Berlin | - | *June 17 | | Game 5 | Alba Berlin vs. Telekom Baskets | - | *June 19 |
|
|
Euroleague.net
|