Bartzokas: «Dedicated to the Presidents and the fans»

Olympiacos will be present in a Euroleague Final 4 for the third time in a row. And the qualification over Barcelona was dedicated to many special people...

"I would like to thank all of Barcelona's people. They have quality and congratulated us despite a painful loss for them", the coach of Olympiacos, Giorgos Bartzokas said at the beginning of his comments. 

And he went on with the following: "It's something I truly appreciate. As for our team, I would like to express my huge respect for my players. It's not the first time, neither the second one, but rather the third back-to-back year that we advance to the final four. They never give up the fight. They are a team that always fights, successfully or not. The most important thing is that we fight, we stay together and trust one another. Of course, we have this huge fan base that supports us every step of the way. I would like to dedicate this win to our Presidents and our fans. Congratulations to Barcelona, wish them all the best". 

Then, the coach did not forget to wish the best for the football team of Olympiacos too... "I would like to extend my warmest wishes to our football team that tomorrow plays the second leg of the Conference League semifinals aiming to qualify for the final. They have our support and our warmest regards". 

Asked about the game and how it evolved, he pointed out that: "It was a very nervous game from both teams. The importance of the game was immense, following four completely different games that preceded this one. We were playing against a team that had only lost at home twice during the regular season. We beat them here twice and by a margin of 34 points in the fourth quarterfinal. Also, we could have won the third game, since the Euroleague has admitted to the huge mistake at the end. So, playing against such a big, talented and great team, makes this result even more important. I used Goss and Walkup at the end, because we needed ball handlers on the floor at that time. We used Papanikolaou as a '4' and Fall and Milutinov as '5s' and controlled the game at the end. We deserved the win".