Written on 16 September 2020. Posted in Games.

Preseason Tour Valencia: Olympiacos – Bayern 82-68

Olympiacos beat Bayern 82-68 and won 3^rd place at the «We're Back – Preseason Tour Valencia».

The ‘reds’ were struggling to find rhythm in the first quarter (0 assists), were shooting extremely poorly (0/6 threes) and it was not long before they found themselves trailing by 10 (4-14 at 8’). The Germans used their perimeter defense to their advantage and increased the difference even further (12p., 18-30 at 16’), however, with good defense and Sasha Vezenkov leading the offense, Olympiacos replied with a partial 13-2 and closed in one point (31-32) at the end of the first half.

Bartzoka’s players upped their performance significantly in the second half. Playing a consistently good defense, with Kostas Sloukas masterfully leading the team (he finished the game with 13 assists) and Kostas Papanikolaou, Giorgos Printezis and Hassan Martin ‘loading’ the basket, they even led by 16 (82-66), facing no resistance and got a comfortable victory (82-68).

* Vassilis Spanoulis did not play (rest), together with Livio Jean-Charles (injury).

QUOTES

Giorgos Bartzokas pointed out: “I wouldn’t want to begin talking about the second half or tonight’s game in particular, but rather for the period of time we have been here in Valencia. We are grateful to the organization of Valencia for the hospitality. It was a great tournament, they offered solutions for everything and made us feel at ease. During the time we’ve been here we played three games, two official ones and one scrimmage. We had three practice sessions and the progress we made these past few days helped us make one more step towards getting better and becoming more solid as a team, which is what we are seeking at this particular time”.

He went on to say that: “I’m going to repeat that we are a new team, we are rather hesitant, we try to find one another on the floor, we try to learn how to play together and at this level playing against such strong opponents is not easy. This is what happened in the first half… We were hesitating and trying to score not the normal way we usually do. This changed in the second half, we showed more trust in one another, we moved the ball and found all the ‘free’ players without taking risks. That’s how we had 20 assists, 13 of which came from Kostas Sloukas. This is the way we need to be playing. Of course, we are not drawing conclusions as to our level at the moment. Just like any other team, right now we need to first control our feelings in terms of the situation established due to Covid-19, then we need to improve and have better collaborations and third, we need to get ready to play our first official game in fifteen days. Good luck to all the teams and once again, our sincerest thanks to Valencia”.

When asked to comment on the 13 assist by Kostas Sloukas – a personal record for the 30 year old guard – he said: “We are talking about a high quality player. I think he’s one of the three top point – guards at the time in Europe. It’s very important to us that he’s Greek and has a connection with the team. He had been a member of Olympiacos when the team won the back to back Euroleagues in 2012 and 2013. He’s at the perfect age, he’s experienced, he had been a part of a fantastic program with Fenerbahce and he’s now ready to ‘offer’ to us. He’s a huge addition. It’s very important to have a native player of his quality. However, it doesn’t have to do with how Kostas played tonight. Sometimes you play well, sometimes not, that’s normal for every player. He had been inactive for six months. Some players hadn’t had the chance to train properly. So, let’s be a little more ‘sensitive’ with all the guys that have been trying to play better. Let’s give them some time”.

On his part, Aaron Harrison stated: “We played a very good second half. We played as a team, defended the ball, played faster, we enjoyed the game and won. As for the pre-season, I think we are getting better every day”. Asked what changed in the second half and his team played that much better, he replied: “We started trusting one another. We shouldn’t be forgetting that we are a new team. However, I believe that this made all the difference in the second half, the fact that we showed faith in one another and played aggressively. Also, defense was important. When you play good defense, your offense gets better”.

Bayern’s coach, Andrea Trinchieri, commented: “We made a good start, however, we made a lot of back to back turnovers in the second quarter and then we did not find the way to play as we should have. Each player needs to be doing their part, nevertheless, sometimes we are not ready to do just that. We still have three friendly games to play to improve our game on both ends of the floor”.

Finally, Nihad Djedovic stated: “We played two games and lost both of them. We made a lot of turnovers and we need to improve. Thankfully, we have still two weeks to work and try to get better. We have a roster that has the will to work and I believe that we are going to be ready for the first official game”.

The quarters: 10-17, 31-32, 58-49, 82-68.