Eighth win in the eighth home game, the SAP Garden sold out for the eighth time: Bayern continue to impress in the Euroleague.

One thing cannot be denied about the honorary president of FC Bayern Munich: Uli Hoeneß has a visionary feel for his club. Two years before the SAP Garden opened, Hoeneß predicted that the magnificent building, which he had launched with a handshake with the now deceased Red Bull patriarch Dietrich Mateschitz, would alone attract crowds. When the Munich basketball team won their eighth Euroleague home game with a 98:93 win against Maccabi Tel Aviv, the multifunctional hall was sold out – for the eighth time. 11,200 spectators – due to hydraulic problems in the stands the full capacity of 11,500 cannot yet be used – once again conjured up an intense and rousing atmosphere in the huge arena in the Olympic Park.

With the hoped-for side effect: This powerful backdrop also spurs the players down on the floor to consistently perform at their best, despite all the madness of the game plan. This was clearly evident on Thursday evening, when Bayern had a mediocre first half, as coach Gordon Herbert admitted afterwards: “We played really badly for 25 minutes.” He took responsibility for that, he tried around a bit in defense, “that worked backfires.” The guests from Maccabi Tel Aviv knew how to take advantage of Munich’s sleepiness, following a simple pattern: Tamir Blatt, the best assist provider in the entire Euroleague, served Jaylen Hoard and Wenyen Gabriel under the basket, who exploited their physical advantages against the small Munich defense. Because Blatt and Levi Randolph are also good long-range shooters, Maccabi had a clear 15-point lead in the middle of the third quarter (65:50).

But then Bayern showed a few spectacular actions, which were once again the responsibility of Carsen Edwards, top scorer with 25 points, sharpshooter Andreas Obst (23) with a series of three and Devin Booker (14) with cracking dunks. And immediately the spectators were there: “The fans were great, they were behind us even though we didn’t play well.” However, when Obst and Shabazz Napier (13) quickly reduced the deficit, “the fans were also in the game,” like Herbert was pleased to note: “That really helped us. We then played with enthusiasm and energy.”

“Our fans make it a lot easier for us,” explained playmaker Napier, who clearly enjoys the performances in the Garden and was partly responsible for the turnaround. “No matter what the situation is, they push us, it’s a great arena.” Kevin Yebo, who is fitting better and better into the team, also confirmed this special interaction: “When you see people cheering and dancing during a time-out, then it gives you so much energy.”

11,200 people regularly make the pilgrimage to the Olympic Park to watch top European basketball – during the week

Maccabi’s coach Oded Kattash was able to serve as a key witness that evening for the thesis that such a home advantage is often the deciding factor between victory and defeat: “This is a great arena with a great atmosphere. You can see that the players are enjoying this. That’s good for FC Bayern, the new arena gives them a lot of energy, we felt that today.” The feared disruptive noises that recently occurred at guest games by Israeli teams did not materialize, the Munich Olympic Park was the scene of a peaceful one Basketball festivals.

Maccabi does not have such support because Tel Aviv has to play its Euroleague home games in Belgrade because of the war, in front of yawningly empty stands. “We miss our hall, we lack the support, that’s really hard,” complained Kattash. Especially since he had to build a completely new team after the departure of some top players: “We had a good chance of winning in five or six games, but always lost in the final minutes.” Maccabi now had to see what the energy from the stands can do Experience the Olympic Park. Because the Israeli league is held at home, the Israeli series champions are faced with immense travel demands, Maccabi jets back and forth between Israel and Europe.

At least Bayern are spared this, whose burden with three competitions and two to three games per week is also immense – after all, the Munich team regularly have the home advantage on their side. And what this can achieve is experienced by the 11,200 people who make the pilgrimage to the SAP Garden during the week to watch European basketball.

One person who particularly enjoys playing at the Garden is Carsen Edwards. The US guard loves interacting with the fans. After spectacular actions, of which he knows how to throw in a lot, he looks for them, high-fives them, and animates them with gestures. Edwards is the best point collector in the Euroleague, the nimble American is the circus horse in an excellent team. Uli Hoeneß particularly enjoys watching him.