On Thursday night, Alba Berlin played their last home game of the Euroleague Basketball season. It might well be their last for more than just this season.
The curtain fell on the home campaign for Alba Berlin in Euroleague Basketball this season in their clash with Partizan. A remarkably easy club to like, that may not be enough to keep them in the competition going forward.
Easy like to but…
…not exactly a success on the court. Well, at least not by current Euroleague Basketball standards. The wild run of the Reggie Reding era Alba Berlin has faded from memory for many. Go back a bit further, it’s Wendell Alexis that rings a bell. I even have a t-shirt with the Alba legend’s name on it.
The departure of Luke Sikma and Maodo Lo in the off-season however felt like the end of an era. The calibre of baller Alba could afford, or more accurately would pay, had changed. They were expected to be in the basement at the start of the season. They’ve lived up, or rather down, to everyone’s expectations.
The right way
Alba Berlin was expected to get a full A licence for Euroleague Basketball. This would have secured its long-term future in the competition. The Dubai project and other hopes of growth in the league however delayed that, seemingly permanently.
It’s desperately unfortunate because this club is a model of fiscal responsibility. It spends within its budget. This is a club with a proud and loyal fanbase. Alba has long been the ideal of how to not rely on the mega rich to succeed in this sport.
There’s never any fear of them being labelled a plastic club. This club is the antithesis of the concept. In a city where they are arguably only the fifth biggest sporting draw, they have built a real following. The problem is, there was rarely any fear for teams facing them this season. That was visible on Thursday night.
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Just not good enough
Partizan won’t ever be accused of being a moneybags club. Certainly, they get some financial aid but they aren’t close to the top of the Euroleague Basketball spending tree. Still, they just beat up on Alba Berlin the first half.
That Partizan had a few thousand vocal fans in the arena may have seemed unfortunate. It was anything but. The travelling support brought added colour to the game and their presence was a sign of respect for the opponent.
Alba fought back, pretty hard, in the second half. Rarely did they look like they were ever going to pull the upset. Guts has never been an issue for this side. In front of their home fans, they fell. There’s a good chance it’ll be the last Euroleague night for those supporters for some time.
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This needs to work
Alba Berlin’s future isn’t written in stone. Valencia may yet be the side that exits should Paris Basketball make the step up to Euroleague next season. Still, the ifs and buts are the issue here. It’s something that should concern all basketball fans, not just those of Alba.
An organic success, one built on such strong foundations, is objectively good for the sport. It shows that being a top tier basketball team doesn’t require heavy debt or betting your existence on hope for the future. There’s also the obvious business case for Euroleague Basketball to have a team in Berlin.
This is a vibrant and growing city. It’s one which has dealt with plenty of economic struggle yet is clearly on the up. In simple terms, it is a major market with enormous potential. Amidst the competition of football, ice hockey, and handball to name a few, Alba Berlin has found a way to grow.
When we look for the ideal support and passion, we look at the visitors tonight. Partizan have set a standard for others to emulate. When we look for the type of off court stability that can enable more of these clubs, we look to Alba. They lost tonight. Their Euroleague season ended. It is vital to the sport that their Euroleague story doesn’t. At least not for long.