Basketball | European Basketball Championship: Euphoria against all odds

First, there was something for the ears. A very special birthday girl was honored to kick off the German women's basketball European Championship opener against Sweden on Thursday. On his 47th birthday, NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki had the honor of pressing a specially placed red button shortly before the game began, sounding a ship's foghorn through the sold-out Hamburg Inselpark Arena. The starting signal for a successful first evening at the home preliminary round of EuroBasket.

A crowd of 3,414 spectators in the multi-purpose hall in the harbor district of Wilhelmsburg clapped, shouted, and drummed for the German Basketball Association's (DBB) women's team to kick off the tournament perfectly. "I'm really happy that so many people came to cheer us on. They were loud, and that gives you an extra boost," said national player Leonie Fiebich after the ultimately dominant 89-76 victory against the Swedes.

A massive home advantage

The first game already demonstrated how important home advantage could become for the German women's basketball team during the European Championship group stage, in which groups of four teams will play in Hamburg, Bologna, Brno, and Piraeus. In the first quarter, national coach Lisa Thomaidis's team capitalized on the energy from the stands to jump out to a 16-2 start. Sweden seemed overwhelmed by the momentum the German Basketball Federation (DBB) team, along with their own fans, unleashed. They held onto their comfortable double-digit lead throughout the first half, heading into the locker room with a score of 44-27.

"We got off to a great start; the crowd carried us. Then we had a weaker phase, but the fans continued to support us. It was a lot of fun," said a delighted Frieda Bühner, who confirmed her strong performances from preseason with 18 points and nine rebounds. Even when the Swedes temporarily reduced the lead to 53-47 with a 12-0 run after halftime, the party atmosphere in the arena only briefly faltered. Together, they overcame the shaky phase in the third quarter and pulled ahead by double digits again in the fourth.

Discussion about the hall size

After the opening victory, the wave of euphoria that Germany's women's basketball players have been riding since their first Olympic appearance and the 3x3 team's gold medal last year appears to be gaining new momentum. Previously, there had been some critical discussion about whether more attention could have been paid to the women's EuroBasket. Before the tournament began, national player Fiebich expressed surprise at the lack of promotion for the European Championship in Germany. The size of the arena was also an issue: "We're playing in a rather small arena in Hamburg. I hear that many people still want tickets, but they're all sold out. Perhaps we could have planned differently to get a larger audience," the 25-year-old told the "Süddeutsche Zeitung."

Whether the German Basketball Federation (DBB) would have been able to fill Hamburg's significantly larger 15,000-seat Barclays Arena, which is also home to the Hamburg Towers basketball league, remains to be seen. The German Basketball Federation and FIBA ​​opted for the smaller Inselpark Arena. The fact that a true European Championship atmosphere developed there, even without large crowds, was primarily thanks to the German team and their supporters on the first matchday of Group D, as well as the self-sacrificing Swedes and their fans, who loudly cheered their team on throughout the entire game despite the significant deficit at one point.

The team works, despite the failures

In addition to the euphoria it sparked, Germany's opening victory also served a second, even more important sporting purpose. After a bumpy preseason , the team has a first indicator of where they stand without the Sabally sisters and injured captain Marie Gülich. The two available WNBA players, Leonie Fiebich and Luisa Geiselsöder, are the team's hoped-for pillars. Although the two 25-year-olds were only able to join the team last Sunday due to the ongoing season in the North American professional league, the DBB team put in a promising performance, especially offensively, with them.

Now it's time to build on that quickly, as the decisive clash for group victory against Spain, who won their first match against Great Britain 85-70, is already on Friday evening. Dirk Nowitzki will be back in the arena as a lucky charm against Spain. A win against the co-favorites could really get the small European Championship party in southern Hamburg going.