Skip to content

VIDEO: Alba Berlin stuns Spurs at the buzzer

Jesse D. Garrabrant / Getty

If the NBA's theoretical championship belt was contested during the preseason, the strap wouldn't belong to the league any more.

That's because German team Alba Berlin hung with the defending champion San Antonio Spurs from start to finish in an exhibition contest Wednesday, stunning the Spurs on a game-winning buzzer-beater by Jamel McLean after he stole the inbound pass.

An NBA team losing to a European team in preseason action isn't unprecedented, and no one would expect Berlin to hang with the Spurs in a real, meaningful matchup. But it is worth noting that the Spurs weren't exactly resting their stars or going easy on the reigning German Cup champions.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard and Boris Diaw all started and played at least 29 minutes for the Spurs, while Manu Ginobili and Danny Green logged 27 minutes and 23 minutes, respectively. 

Parker scored 28 points and Duncan recorded a double-double, but it wasn't  enough to hold off the hometown underdogs at the O2 World Arena.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox