Many BG fans had already dismissed the game as won given the dominance and callousness that the Göttingen basketball team showed in the last quarter, and in fact the omens were more than favorable on Wednesday evening: top shooter Kamar Baldwin had shown a great game and set a new BBL season best with 35 points, the violets were ahead in the chasing duel against Bayern conqueror Niners Chemnitz with 83:67. There were still 6:34 minutes to play at this point. But then the tank was empty for the frequent players from Göttingen, and the game went to pieces with 86:87 – which is why the misery was great after the last siren.
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Niners Chemnitz – BG Göttingen, BBL 2021/22
Niners Chemnitz – BG Göttingen, BBL 2021/22
© Eibner Press Photo
If things are going well, the trainer does everything right, if something goes wrong, criticism is not spared – BG trainer Roel Moors made this experience after the Chemnitz bankruptcy. What was to be expected in view of a team that scored only once with a three from Jake Toolson in the last 6:34 minutes and was apparently knocked out standing up, was to be expected: the small squad was to blame after the departures by James Dickey III and Zack Bryant should have been filled long ago if they didn’t want to jeopardize participation in the playoffs, according to some supporters on the BG’s Facebook page. And only giving the ball to a completely exhausted Baldwin wasn’t the philosopher’s stone either – the BG should have stuck to their successful team basketball.
Kamar Baldwin was totally drained by the end
It was obvious that Baldwin was exhausted. The best example in the final phase was an airball by the sniper. To make matters worse, playmaker Stephen Brown had started the game ailing and was unable to help his team in the decisive minutes.
What bothered Moors after the game, who couldn’t be reached the day after, was the sudden negligence on the defensive: “We controlled the game for a long time today. But at the same time I would like to say that the Niners still deserved the win because they played 40 minutes today and we only played 35. In the end we lost the game in defense with three bad defensive sequences, from which Chemnitz benefited and sunk open threes “said the Belgian in the press conference after the game.
His team also struggled offensively in the closing stages, Moors admitted, adding: “We’re currently having some personnel problems, including Stephen Brown who’s actually injured. But that shouldn’t be an excuse. We could have won this game if we had played 40 minutes defensively.”
On the other hand, even after Niklas Wimberg scored points to give the hosts a 87:86 lead, the BG had the opportunity to seal the away win with the last attack 21 seconds before the end. Only because Wimberg surpassed himself with a huge block in Baldwin’s attempt 2.2 seconds before the end, and the Baldwin half-distance throw with the final siren didn’t fall either, did the violets leave the floor as losers and not as winners. If Baldwin had scored with the last action like the other day, the tactics of the final phase would have worked again.
BG annoyed by surprise game postponement
Anyone who knows Moors knows that he doesn’t go about business as usual. The pressure to re-sign has increased, but it is still the case that only players who actually help the team should be brought in, especially with regard to the possible playoff qualification. After the bankruptcy, the BG head coach will be more annoyed that the actual game date before Christmas, when the Niners were weak in terms of personnel, had to be postponed due to surprising quarantine orders from the health department.
The current matchday magazine for the home game against Frankfurt can be found here.
Moors will console himself with the fact that his team was the better team for long stretches of the game. On the other hand, the fact that the violets again gave up a high lead without a hitch, this time with a fatal outcome, will keep him busy for a while. The chance to do better comes on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the home game against the Fraport Skyliners.
