CHARLOTTE (Steve Goldberg's Wheel World) - Humbled last year in both league and cup competitions by a deserving RSB Thuringia Bulls, the world order that RSV Lahn-Dill envisions is a little more than halfway back in place.

The more things change, the more they remain the same, said the French novelist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr.

The 12-time Rollstuhl Basketball Bundesliga champions have already claimed the Deutschen Pokalsieger (German Cup), the club's 13^th, and are up a game in the best of three series against the Bulls after a 72-65 finish at home in Wetzlar.

A win away in Elxleben on Saturday in game two will seal the double for Lahn-Dill and reclaim both trophies that they watched Thuringia celebrate last season. A loss and game three will decide the champion on Sunday.

Philipp Häfeli (white) of RSV Lahn-Dill and Switzerland drives past Sweden's Joakim Linden (far left) and Germany's André Bienek (10) of the RSB Thuringia Bulls. Photo by Armin Diekmann; courtesy of RSV Lahn-Dill 

The is pressure of a sort to win the title once again. RSV head coach Nicolai Zeltinger is leaving after the season as are players Joe Bestwick and Björn Lohmann. That motivation didn't rule the day last year when Steve Serio was closing out his run with the German powerhouse but it's a strong one nonetheless.

Bestwick, a British national teamer, joined the German club after the 2012 Paralympic Games in London while Lohman, a three-time Paralympian for Germany, has been with the club since 1999.

"Thuringia is a great team," acknowledged Zeltinger. While the objective is to win on Saturday, he added, "Even if we would have to play on Sunday, we have already considered this scenario and will be well prepared." 

The RSB Thuringia Bulls upset favorites RSV Lahn-Dill for both major German club competitions last season. Photo courtesy of the RBBL

Another championship and Lahn-Dill will draw even with USC Munchen with 13 trophies.

Since the German wheelchair league began in 1973, there have been several dynasties. USC Munchen and BSG Duisberg took turns ruling the 70's, 80's and first half of the 90's, with the Bayerisch club racking up 13 German Championships, the last one in 1996. Duisberg claimed 7 trophies, the last in 1991.

All for one. One against all. Polish international Piotr Luszynski (11) of RSV Lahn-Dill shoots over the RSB Thuringia Bulls trio of Germany's Aleksiandr Halouski (11), Andre Bienek (10) and Benjamin Kenyon (rear). Photo by Armin Diekmann; courtesy of RSV Lahn-Dill 

RSV Lahn-Dill won its first championship in 1998, its second in 2004 and didn't relinquish the top spot until 2009 when RSC-Rollis Zwickau interrupted. It then won the next six until last season for a total of 12 including a ridiculous 11 of the last 14 seasons.

Even with the victory in game one, Zeltinger says Lahn-Dill will have to bring a different tactic into Saturday's match "If we just depend on doing it all again as in the first game, we have already lost." 

Should the difference be effective for Lahn-Dill, I can only quote Karr, "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose."

Steve Goldberg

FIBA

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