betprepare.com

Stranded by snow

Crailsheim Merlins didn't show up in Hagen because of the snow and traffic accidents even an hour after the match was supposed to start, so the officials recorded a 40-0 win for the opponents, slapping Merlins with a 55.000 euro fine

Getty Images

On Saturday Crailsheim Merlins didn't even step onto the court in Hagen, and still they've lost 0-40. Bundesliga rule is loud and clear: if the team doesn't show up on the court an hour after the match should've started, the meeting will register as 40-0 for the team that showed up.

Merlins got stuck in traffic. They left at 9.30 on Saturday morning, but due to the snow storm and a large number of traffic accidents on the autobahn to Hagen, got stuck in traffic and couldn't make it until 19.30, an hour after the match was supposed to start. BBL said that they should have gone on the trip earlier because of possible traffic difficulties, and they should've reacted differently.

Except for the match being registered 40-0 for Hagen, Crailsheim were fined with 55.000 euros. They've appealed to the league's verdict, and we've yet to see if it's going to pass.

Every point is important for Crailsheim Merlins, because they're practically at the bottom of the table with 2-13 record; they're three wins away from the safe zone. The positive thing is that so far the two wins they have were achieved at home, but they weren't overly successful against teams in the rank of Telekom. Their biggest problem is the defense. On average they concede 89 points at home, and the Bonn team are offensively very powerful. Telekom on average scores 86.5 points, 12 more than the Merlins.

After scoring 97 points in Bremerhaven, on Sunday Telekom scored 92 against Braunschweig and routinely reached the win. Only in the first quarter they had some problems, but they dominated in the remaining three. Center Klimavicius was very good (28 points and eight rebounds), and the second center Madrich added 11 points and also eight rebounds. he duo McConnell - Lawrence together achieved 13 points and 14 assists. Coach Mathias Fischer rotated all of the 12 players, and no one spend more than 26 minutes in game. It was another solid team and offense show.

With that win Telekom ensured the placement into the BBL Cup qualifications. They're in a three-streak league wins. The only minus is the fact that their record in away games is 3-4, but their only bigger defeat was against Frankfurt, while they took Bayern into overtime.

- Our goal is to still continue to use our wide rotation and put pressure on our opponents on both sides of the court. We have to have the flow, use our centers and create open shots for the back court - Fischer pointed out.