Finally, there are certificates in the World Champion League!
SPORT BILD has closely followed the 2023/24 season in the Easycredit Basketball Bundesliga, observing, researching and analyzing on match days and between games. Now the basketball reporters are awarding the BBL final certificate.
Final certificate BBL, part 9: Würzburg Baskets
Würzburg’s Cinderella story had actually already been told in the last two years. First, coach Sasa Filipkowski (49) managed the miraculous rescue in 2022. Then followed a strong 2022/23 season in which the Baskets only lost the playoffs in the final meters and finished the season in eleventh place after five defeats in a row.
This has never happened beforeThis superstar wants to make history
Source: AP/imdwhite,Bronny:Instagram/Bild28.06.2024
So what else could happen in 2023/24? A mid-table position, in the best case scenario.
Or, as the trade magazine BIG predicted before the season: The Mainfranken team should have nothing to do with relegation. Well, the experts were right. Würzburg had nothing to do with relegation…
Otis Livingston led his team into the playoffs. There he was seriously injured
Foto: picture alliance / HMB Media
Led by the outstanding new signing Otis Livingston (who came from Bayreuth), the Baskets were always in a playoff position from the 12th matchday onwards. An average of 20.5 points was the league’s best, along with a smooth 5.5 assists per game – outstanding figures from the American, who was quite rightly named MVP after the main round.
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But it was not a one-man show for Livingston: Zach Seljaas (who came as top scorer from second division club Tübingen) not only thrilled the fans with his mullet and distinctive moustache, but above all with his spectacular points (13.5 on average) in crunch time. And then there was Isaiah Washington (12.4 points), who coach Sasa Filipovski (49) could always rely on.
Leader: Zach Seljaas will stay in Würzburg next season
Foto: picture alliance / HMB Media
It was only on the very last match day that Ulm pushed the Baskets out of fourth place. This gave the current champions home advantage in the best-of-five series against Würzburg. But this advantage was already lost in the first quarter-final: Filipovski’s team won 78:65 – but paid the highest price imaginable for their success. Otis Livingston was seriously injured in the final minutes – the end of the season.
Zach Seljaas played the playoffs of his life
A depressing performance in game two (64:100) followed and Würzburg already seemed to be history. But Zach Seljaas played the playoffs of his life and led the Baskets into the semifinals against Bayern with two outstanding performances.
The Mainfranken team did hold their own against the eventual champions for a long time, but the tank was now completely empty and the season ended with a clear 0:3 defeat.
Foto: picture alliance / Eibner-Pressefoto, picture alliance / BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Wunderl, picture alliance / nordphoto GmbH / Hafner, picture alliance / Pressefoto Ba
Whether the Cinderella story will continue in 2024/25 is questionable, once again. Because with Otis Livingston, the MVP is leaving Würzburg for Turkey. But the fans will certainly never forget the fairytale of the 2023/24 season. Therefore:
SPORT BILD-Grade 1
2024-07-02 08:41:37
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