Bonn (dpa/lnw) - For the first time since 2009, Telekom Baskets Bonn are aiming for a place in the final of the Bundesliga playoffs. In the first semi-final, coach Tuomas Iisalo's team will play the start of the best-of-five series on Saturday (8:30 p.m.) in Bonn against the FC Bayern Munich team. The second match of the playoffs will also take place in Bonn on Monday (8.30 p.m.). The semi-final series will then continue with the third game on June 4 (6 p.m.) in Munich.
13 years ago, the Bonn club had also reached the semi-finals and in 2009 they also reached the final against Alba Berlin. The foundation stone for the next coup is to be laid on Saturday. "What a feeling to be in the playoff semi-finals for the first time in my career. What I'm most happy about is that we can continue to work and play with the team," said coach Iisalo, whose team defeated the Hamburg Towers in the quarter-finals with 3-0 victories claimed. "You always need a bit of luck, even in the playoffs," explained Iisalo.
Bonn's team around Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who was voted the most valuable player of the season, finished the main round in second place behind Alba Berlin and ahead of Munich. Bayern coach Andrea Trinchieri described his selection ahead of the playoff semifinals against Bonn as an outsider: "We have the privilege of being the underdog."
