Bartzokas: «We did not have the right approach to the game» (vid)

In the post-game press conference following the game against Crvena Zvezda, Olympiacos head coach Giorgos Bartzokas analyzed the reasons for the defeat.

In his initial statement, he emphasized: "I would like to congratulate Crvena Zvezda, they deserved the win with the way they played. For us, it was one of the worst games of the season, mainly regarding our approach to it. They started playing only with guards and forwards, and we kept looking for mismatches instead of playing our game; we played a free style. I believe we underestimated the game, and in the Euroleague, when you do that, you pay the price. We didn't play with intensity, we didn’t foul, we allowed points on the fast break, missed 9 layups in the first half, and overall, our game was chaotic. In the third quarter, we came back, but still, we needed more players to reach their usual standards. We are still first in the standings, and maybe this is something our players have in mind. And certainly, injuries affect our performance. We will improve soon and play with our philosophy and style, and we won’t be as naïve as we were today."

Regarding whether the players were affected by the victory in the derby and the "celebratory" atmosphere in the game against Crvena Zvezda: "Yesterday, I told the players that after the game against Panathinaikos, this game would be more difficult. For some reason, players relax, they look at the standings. Even now, Monaco won against Fenerbahce, we are 2 wins ahead of the second-place team, so you don't go into the game with a killer mentality. The atmosphere also helped, as it was supportive for both teams. Almost for sure, we have secured home-court advantage. We are close. The many ins and outs of the players are against how a team should stay united. Even when we cut the deficit from 16 points to 3, I didn't see our bench standing. We considered it just a game to play, and that was a big mistake on our part."

THE FULL PRESS CONFERENCE IN THE VIDEO THAT FOLLOWS