Barztokas and Walkup on Barcelona
Olympiacos is traveling to Spain for two Euroleague playoff games against Barcelona, without captain Kostas Papanikolaou who is down with a virus.
«There's no doubt about the difficulty of our mission. However, we are only focusing on the first game and not on the series», was what the coach of Olympiacos, Giorgos Barzokas stressed before adding: «Papanikolaou had a very high fever and had to stay behind. Anyone who knows about Olympiacos, they know his presence is significant and hence his absence is going to be significant as well. Thankfully, we have enough players this year to cover for the things he does on the floor».
He said about the «blaugrana»: «Barcelona is a very experienced team, with a very strong home court. I read that they have the strongest home court in the Euroleague. That means that to win there we must really play good games. Both as a team, but also the players as individuals have to perform well. Our plan needs to be effective. I think that rebounds always play a very important role. The possessions... Math are really important in situations like that. We'll try to lower their percentages. We definitely play good in defense, but we must not allow them extra possessions, avoid turnovers and if we control the game in that regard, I think we have have a real chance at winning».
Thomas Walkup, who went through a lower back problem, said in regard to his health: «I feel fantastic. I've had treatment in the past few days and I feel fine. I feel refreshed».
About the series with Barcelona, he commented: «Our defense must be up to par. We must not allow them to run. They are a talented team, they know how to play, they've been together for years. If we do that, then we'll have taken a step in the right direction».
The American guard, who will serve as the team's captain due to Papanikolaou's absence, said about the Greek forward: «His absence is significant. He's our leader. It's important, some of the guys need to step up. That's what we've been doing as a team. There's no other choice. He's going to be with us soon, but for now, we have to cover for him».