GER - Artland Dragons slay Koln to reach finals

KOLN (BBL) - Artland Dragons continued their excellent German play-off run on Thursday by dethroning title-holders RheinEnergie Koln 84-60 on the road to move into the BBL Finals against Brose Baskets Bamberg.

After making history by knocking out regular-season champions and number one seeds Alba Berlin in the quarter-finals, Chris Fleming's team took the semi-final series 3-2 and moved just one step from the crown.

Artland's excellent run comes in only their fourth season in the German top flight.

"This is the reward for a long season," said Dragons coach Fleming.

"We showed a lot of character all season and fought hard just to make the play-offs in the end. But we knew we could take this series as well."

Artland's Puerto Rico point guard Filiberto Rivera led the way with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Darius Hall and Bryan Bailey added 13 points apiece and Adam Hess scored 11 points for the eighth-seeded Dragons, who shot 54% (31 of 57) from the field and made 15 of 17 foul shots (88%).

The backcourt combination of Rivera, Bailey and Lamont McIntosh also helped frustrate Koln's guards as Devin Green shot just five of 15 from the field in scoring a team-high 14 points, and Demond Mallet was held to just three points from two shots.

Immanuel McElroy and Aleksandar Nadjfeji each scored 11 points but it wasn't nearly enough as Koln shot just 36% (22 of 62) for the game.

"Artland totally deserved this win. They played much better than us. We were missing the energy and were just exhausted," said Koln coach Sasa Obradovic.

Koln got off to a nightmare start, missing 14 of their first 17 shots in falling behind 20-6 after seven minutes.

A Nadjfeji dunk following a Koln breakaway evened things at 23-23 but Artland led 40-35 at the break.

The Dragons came out of the locker room with a lot of energy and opened a 49-38 lead which Nadjfeji trimmed to seven with a three-pointer to make it 51-44.

However, Artland closed the third period with a 15-5 run to lead 66-49 going into the final period.

Koln were held scoreless for the first four minutes of the fourth period with three Bailey baskets opening a 25-point margin to make the scored 74-49.

The final six minutes proved to be dangerous for the players as the humidity in the RheinEnergie Dome created precipitation on the court and a number of players slipped and fell.

"You have no clue how fired up we were for this game. It started in the hotel last night. None of us could sleep. I only got three hours last night.
We wanted this game," said Hall.

The power forward and the rest of his team-mates will travel to Bamberg for Game One of the Finals on Sunday, with Game Two taking place on Thursday in Quakenbruck.

The Finals will also decide which teams earn places in the European competitions next season.

The top four spots are still up for grabs, with the top side qualifying for the Euroleague, second and third place for the ULEB Cup and the fourth-placed side going into the FIBA EuroCup.

The 2005 German champions Bamberg have at least 41 points and would have 55 if they win the crown.

Koln finished the season with 43 points, Alba Berlin have 37 and Artland have at least 29 but could move up to 43 if they win the championship.

Therefore, RheinEnergie Koln could still qualify for the Euroleague if Artland win the title and elect not to participate in the tournament.

Dave Hein
FIBA