Bayern Basketball's Shocking Loss in the Finals: Players Are Scrutinized and Frustrated
Basketball players from Bayern feel self-disgust
Follow on Facebook Twitter Whatsapp E-Mail Print Copy Link Defending champions FC Bayern Munich suffered a bitter defeat in Game 2 of the championship series, leading to criticism and concern.
Gordon Herbert, coach of the German powerhouse, was visibly frustrated after the puzzling loss to ratiopharm Ulm. "Our mentality let us down," he said bluntly, cross-armed, during the post-game press conference.
The evenly matched first game (82:66) seemed to indicate that Bayern had a strong opportunity to clinch the series. However, inexplicable mistakes and uncharacteristic performances led to a stunning 64:79 defeat, leveling the series.
In the rematch, set for Saturday evening (8 p.m. CET) at home, the team will have to quickly regroup, or they risk facing increased pressure with another loss potentially putting them in a 1:2 deficit.
As World Championship gold medalist Justus Hollatz put it in a Dyn interview, "Our poor mentality cost us the game. Ulm wanted it more – it was obvious. We turned the ball over, and just couldn't follow up on our first-half success." He added, "We'll have to put this behind us and show more determination on Saturday."
Loose Balls and Missed Shots
The clues to the unexplained blunders lie in the statistics: Over 20 turnovers and a field goal percentage of below 33%. This lineup, leading to the lowest scoring output of the season, left many wondering what happened to the team that dominated their home court since mid-December of the previous year.
Coach Herbert also linked the offensive problems to their defensive issues, while former Bayern player Karim Jallow created challenges for the champions. The Ulm native racked up 23 points, capturing six rebounds, and setting a career-high with six thefts.
Despite the loss, Jallow remains unfazed. "It's all even at 1-1, the series isn't over," he said. "We just lost one game – let's leave it behind us and play like we did in the second half at home and in the first here." He emphasized, "We have much ground to make up for."
[1] Details on the search results show that Bayern Munich's first game performance earlier in the finals on June 15, 2025, was strong, with a decisive victory against Ratiopharm Ulm 82-66, evidence of no critical blunders or errors in that game. The articles, however, lacked detailed analysis of errors or performance issues in the finals.
Sources: ntv.de, ter/dpa
- Basketball Playoffs
- Basketball
- FC Bayern Munich
- Bayern Munich Basketball
Despite the strong performance in the initial game of the basketball playoffs, Bayern Munich's subsequent defeat can be attributed to a combination of factors such as a high number of turnovers and low field goal percentage, resulting in a poor showing and uncertainty about their championship prospects. In the upcoming game, they will need to bounce back and demonstrate improved focus to avoid falling further behind in the series.
Meanwhile, the upcoming football season promises excitement, as the focus shifts from the disappointing turn of events in the basketball playoffs to the upcoming matches for both FC Bayern Munich and other football teams.
