Ulm conclude miraculous German playoff run by winning first-ever championship title / News - Basketnews.com

Ratiopharm Ulm made history, winning their first German league title ever and beating Telekom Baskets Bonn in the finals. However, the EuroCup side registered several more admirable records.

Credit: IMAGO/nordphoto GmbH / Hafner Credit IMAGO/nordphoto GmbH / Hafner

FC Bayern Munich, Brose Bamberg, or ALBA Berlin - over the past 13 years, this financially strong trio has dominated the Basketball Bundesliga. It was already a big surprise that all three clubs failed in 2023 before the finals.

Points this season

46%82,2Points made:82,2Accuracy:45,5%Place in standings:6Record max:99Record min:69Best scorer:TJ Shorts IITeamBCLStatisticsSchedule

But a sensational title win by outsider ratiopharm Ulm also ensured some other league records, as the EuroCup side became the first club placed in seventh position to win the championship in the playoffs.

Ulm downed Telekom Baskets Bonn 74-70 (21-23, 22-18, 8-18, 23-11) in Game 4 of the BBL final series, making it 3-1 and celebrating a historic feat.

It's the first time a team gets to defeat the teams placed in first, second and third position on the way to the trophy. This time, in addition to Alba (3-1) and Bayern (3-0), Bonn were the regular season winners. Hence, Ulm did not only overcome the three top- seeded teams, but also the German champs, Cup winners and Champions League winners one after the other.

In Game 4, everything was decided in the last quarter, when the hosts came back from an eight-point deficit (51-59) and turned it into a 10-point lead (69-59). Ulm kept their opponents scoreless for six minutes and recorded an 18-0 run in the process that essentially sealed the outcome.

Colin Malcolm and TJ Shorts tried to change the game's fate, but Shorts' 3-pointer that would have cut down the deficit to two (74-72) with half a minute left on the game clock, missed the target.

Yago Mateus dos Santos led all scorers with 25 points, adding 8 assists. Brandon Paul and Bruno Caboclo were also in double digits.

On the other end, TJ Shorts did everything for Bonn, except for scoring a 3-point shot. The BCL and BBL MVP poured in 19 points, along with 8 rebounds and 6 dimes.

However, Bonn weren't able to pull off another win in the series after their 104-75 blowout in Game 2.

It is Ulm's first title since winning the cup in 1996 and the biggest success in the club's history. They had previously lost three series of finals for the championship in 1998, 2012 and 2016.

At the award ceremony, the BBL named Yago dos Santos the Finals MVP.

Yago dos Santos 25 (7/13 FG, 7/8 FT, 3 REB, 8 AST), Brandon Paul 15 (4/10 FG, 4/4 FT), Bruno Caboclo 11 (6 REB), Robin Christen 8, Thomas Klepeisz 7.

Telekom Baskets Bonn: TJ Shorts 19 (0/7 3PT SHOTS, 8/15 2PT SHOTS, 3/5 FT, 8 REB, 6 AST, 3 TO), Jordan Morgan 13 (4 REB), Sebastian Herrera 12 (4 REB), Collin Malcolm 11 (5 REB), Tyson Ward 8 (5 REB).

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