Brose Baskets Bamberg general manager Wolfgang Heyder admitted that he has never been as nervous in basketball as before his team’s Game 3 semi-final showdown at home against Artland Dragons.
“I have been in the playoffs for 10 years. But I am more nervous now than ever before,” Heyder told heinnews less than an hour before Wednesday’s game in Bamberg.
Reigning champions Bamberg came into their BBL semifinal as heavy favorites to return to the finals. But Artland won Game 2 at home over the weekend to even the best-of-five series at 1-1 and Bamberg were under serious pressure of having almost a must-win game.
Bamberg responded in superb fashion with superb defense to jump out to a 26-13 lead after one quarter. The Brose lead was still 15 points at half-time at 47-32 en route to a comfortable 84-61 victory and a 2-1 lead.
When asked when he finally breathed a sigh of relief in the game, Heyder said at half-time: “The way we were playing defense – all together and for one another – I figured that we would not let this game out of our hands.”
Game 4 is Saturday at Artland Dragons.