FC Bayern Munich won a marathon and is keeping in touch with the playoff places in EuroLeague standings thanks to some special rebounding numbers.
Stats review: Chairmen of the boards
Stats
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Round 10 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague saw three games go down the wire, but perhaps no game this season has felt so much like a marathon as the 101-100 double-overtime affair between FC Bayern Munich and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne that christened LDLC Arena. With 73 three-pointers attempted, nine players scoring in double figures, multiple double-digit swings on the scoreboard, and drama down to the final seconds, this game had a little of everything.
Ultimately, Bayern emerged victorious after an offensive foul call and a made free throw in the waning moments that prevented the game from becoming the first in EuroLeague history to go to triple overtime. As has been the case much of this season, Bayern's rebounding was key to its success. The visitors outrebounded ASVEL on both ends of the court en route to a +12 margin overall. They needed every one of those boards to secure their second win in the last three rounds.
As the table above suggests, this was nothing new for Bayern. The percentage of available rebounds the German team pulls down on both ends and the differential it holds over opponents are tremendous. Bayern's board men have not just been competitive on the glass so far this season – they have been consistently, glaringly dominant. Their 7.1 rebound differential is nearly twice what the league-high has been during the last several seasons, with Real Madrid's 6.2 margin during the 2021-22 campaign – a distinct outlier in its own right – representing the modern record. While it is still early, it is hard not to be impressed with the pace this team has set to this point in rebounding the ball.
One fact that stands out is the number of Bayern players contributing to its success on the boards. Devin Booker is this unit's lone individual in the EuroLeague's top 10 rebounds per game, where he ranks sixth. Serge Ibaka and Isaac Bonga are within striking distance of rising to that level as well. Nick Weiler-Babb ranks prominently in multiple rebounding metrics among guards. Then there's Freddie Gillespie, who plays only 10.1 minutes per game but grabs the 10th highest percentage of available rebounds when he is on the floor among all EuroLeague players. Their historic trajectory is truly the result of a team effort.
As much grabbing them, the rebounds this group prevents stand out as well. With the EuroLeauge's highest defensive rebound percentage, Bayern concedes as few second-chance opportunities to opponents as any team in recent history. While not quite historically good on the offensive glass, Bayern currently ranks third in offensive rebound percentage without paying for it, also ranking better than average in limiting scoring chances for opponents in the open floor. Bayern's dominance on the boards contains no gimmicks: it is a testament to the team's collective ability to win individual battles when shots are missed.
That avalanche of small victories has helped Bayern make up for shortcomings in other areas at several key stretches this season. That was very much the case against an ASVEL team that turned the ball over a mere 7 times in 50 minutes, had a +9 differential at the foul line, and had several players get hot and go for 20-plus points. Rebounding was the reason that Bayern was able to overcome all that and join either other teams with either 4 or 5 wins who are knocking at the door of the playoff places.