bayern Munich Triumphs Over Oldenburg in Festive Showdown
Just 48 hours after their notable performance against Armani Milan, Bayern Munich’s basketball team secured a decisive 89-75 victory over the EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
Coach Gordon Herbert made two strategic changes to the starting lineup compared to their Euroleague success, bringing in Ivan kharchenkov and Johannes Voigtmann. Simultaneously occurring, Oldenburg fans breathed a sigh of relief as star point guard Geno Crandall returned to the court after an absence. This marked Crandall’s first game under new head coach Mladen Drijencic, and he immediately slotted into the starting five.
The opening quarter was a thrilling offensive display, with both teams trading baskets. Bayern held a slight advantage, but oldenburg remained competitive. in the second quarter,both defenses tightened up. Bayern, through clever offensive plays and strong rebounding, managed to pull ahead by 13 points (38-25).However, Oldenburg refused to give up, capitalizing on Bayern’s errors to narrow the gap to 42-36 by halftime.
At halftime, Dyn expert Bastian Doreth offered his insights: “I feel we’re still missing a few percentages. You need to be a bit more aggressive if you want a chance here. From personal experience, I know: Okay, Bayern is tired. They want to get this game over with as quickly as possible so they can enjoy the holidays. And if you can frustrate them, especially physically, you have a much better chance.”
Dyn commentator Florian von Stackelberg echoed this sentiment, stating: “A bit too much Christmas spirit. They’re being too nice to each other. As today is only december 22nd and Christmas hasn’t arrived yet, we expect this second half to be much more intense.”
Unfortunately, the second half failed to deliver on this promise. The intensity and excitement waned, and Bayern extended their lead to 20 points (67-47) by the end of the third quarter. Despite having a week of rest, Oldenburg struggled with 17 turnovers, while Bayern, seemingly energized despite their recent Euroleague game, remained dominant. Shabazz Napier emerged as the standout performer for Bayern, racking up 19 points.
A brief scare occurred when Carsen Edwards twisted his left knee near the end of the game, but he was able to continue playing.
With their 89-75 victory, Bayern’s stars can now head into the Christmas holidays with a sense of accomplishment. Their next challenge awaits on December 27th against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens.
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Holding Court: A Post-Game Chat With Coach Herbert
Welcome back to “Holding court,” your weekly dose of insightful sports discussions. Today, I’m joined by a man who needs no introduction to basketball fans, the head coach of Bayern Munich, Gordon herbert! 🎉 coach, thanks for joining me.
Gordon Herbert: My pleasure, always happy to discuss the game I love.
Moderator: Now, Coach, let’s dive right into Bayern’s impressive 89-75 victory over Oldenburg. Just 48 hours after that tough EuroLeague battle against Armani Milan, you guys seemed to have the energy reserves others might not. What was the key to keeping that intensity high despite a grueling schedule?
gordon Herbert: Honestly, it comes down to the mental fortitude of this team.
They know the importance of every game, irrespective of fatigue. We adjusted training, focusing on recovery and strategy. Plus, Oldenburg presented a challenge we couldn’t take lightly, especially with Geno Crandall back in their lineup - a fantastic player.
Moderator: Speaking of Oldenburg, they fought hard, especially after trailing by 13 points in that second quarter. Do you think they underestimated Bayern after the Milan game?
Gordon Herbert: I don’t think underestimation was the issue.Oldenburg has a strong roster, and they made some crucial adjustments at halftime.
Bastian doreth and Florian von Stackelberg, during the halftime analysis, actually pointed out that Oldenburg needed to play more aggressively, especially physically, if they wanted to turn things around. What are your thoughts on their assessment, Coach?
Gordon Herbert: They hit the nail on the head. Openly admitting that, I think Oldenburg’s strategy was to weather the initial storm and capitalize on any Bayern fatigue. They did a good job forcing turnovers, but ultimately, our defense held strong.
Moderator: Bayern certainly looked dominant in the second half. Shabazz Napier was on fire! Do you attribute his performance to simply “scoring hot hands,” or was there a strategic change implemented by your coaching staff?
Gordon Herbert: Shabazz clearly had the hot hand,but we also focused on getting him open looks through better ball movement. That’s a testament to the entire team’s ability to find the open man and exploit mismatches. It’s not just about individual performance, it’s about playing as a cohesive unit.
Moderator: Speaking of cohesive units, I want to address the “Christmas spirit” comment made by the Dyn commentators.
Do you think that fatigue, or perhaps even a subconscious desire to get to the holidays, might have played a role in Bayern not pushing harder in the second half?
Gordon Herbert: Every team feels a bit of holiday fatigue, but champions find ways to push through. We knew Oldenburg would come out fighting in the second half, and we prepared accordingly.
Now, I’m going to shift gears a little bit and open this up to our viewers. What are your thoughts on Bayern’s performance tonight? Do you agree with the commentators’ assessment about the lack of intensity in the second half, or were they being overly critical? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, and let’s keep the conversation going!
Gordon Herbert: Fantastic questions, and great points from our viewers. This is truly what makes basketball so enthralling – the passion, the debates, the ongoing conversations about strategy and performance.
I’ll be tuning into the comments to see what everyone is saying.Thanks for having me on Holding Court today,we’ll do it again soon!
