Bartzokas and Larentzakis about ASVEL
Olympiacos left the loss in Istanbul behind and is now focusing on tomorrow's (21/03, 20.15 CET) game with ASVEL at the SEF, for the 31st round of the Euroleague.
Nevertheless, the coach began his statements focusing on the reasons for the loss to Efes: "They had better percentages in both two and 3-point shots. We didn't have the right approach in the beginning. Efes made open shots and guarded ones, even difficult ones. They are a team that when the score opens up and they gain confidence, their guards are very capable of handling that kind of situation. We made a wrong start on the game. They were tougher than we were with every 50-50 play. They seemed hungrier than us. An explanation for how we played is that we had two months of back-to-back winning in every competition we participated in and weren't as tough and alert. This is what we urgently need to bring back tomorrow because each game is very critical".
About the French team: "Whoever expects an easy game, they are making a mistake. Villeurbanne beat Efes and last night, they were leading by ten in the third quarter against Maccabi. They only lost at the end. There is no indifferent game in the Euroleague. They are an athletic team, they have experienced guards, they have been playing very well lately and we expect a tough game. It's not going to be procedural by any means".
Asked whether there are going to be changes in the line-up compared to last night's game (Naz Mitrou-Long was absent due to illness), he said: "We'll see. It's difficult to have changes. I think we'll be the same as last night".
Giannoulis Larentzakis added the following: "Efes is very talented. They had quite a few players on a good night. We did not play up to our usual standards defense-wise. I think that played a decisive role. We definitely want to win tomorrow. For us, it's a very important game and there's only one outcome, winning. All teams have quality and talent. The same applies to Villeurbanne. We saw that they almost beat Maccabi on the road last night. The game demands we are serious, focused and that we play the kind of basketball we know how to play and have shown as much up to now".