Bartzokas - McKissic about Game 2 vs Real Madrid (vid)
At Olympiacos' Media Day, ahead of the second game of the Euroleague playoff series against Real Madrid, head coach Giorgos Bartzokas emphasized the importance of staying motivated and expects a much-improved performance from the Spanish side.
On what can change in just 48 hours and how much better Real can be in Game 2, Bartzokas said: "A lot better. Provided of course that Olympiacos allows them to be. They have talent, regardless. They might come out playing with more pride, more intensity, maybe even with less pressure. As for us, the biggest enemy of any team is complacency. We won the first game at home… and usually, you end up paying for it in the second one. That’s what’s happened in recent years. I don’t have much else to say; our approach remains the same. We’re facing a very strong opponent. Even though we played a solid first half, especially defensively, and built an 18-point lead, in the third and fourth quarters we actually lost to Real. It’s only natural they'd eventually fight their way back. They never fully took over, but it’s clear this next game is very tough. If we win, it’ll be huge. We need to play with the same or even bigger motivation than in Game 1."
On whether losing Game 2 in previous years is a "warning sign": "That remains to be seen. We’ll give it our best. Right now, there’s not much we can do physically - training is limited - so most of our preparation will be mental. Not just us, but also our fans shouldn’t expect anything easy. We need to go into the game as if it’s 0-0 and fight for every possession."
McKissic: “Getting our injured players back gives us confidence”
On his part, Shaquielle McKissic commented ahead of Game 2 against Real: "I think, if we stay focused like we were in the first game, we’ll be in a good place. It’s been a long time since we had a full squad, and having guys on the bench who can support the starters gives us a lot of confidence, guys like me. I think though we’re feeling confident going into the second game."
Asked about the moment he dunked on the fast break and the crowd 'erupted', he said: "For me, it was just another day at the office. It’s easier to say that now, of course. But I told Saben (Lee), ‘That’s how you do it,’ because when he went on the break, he looked so scared of Campazzo chasing him down, I thought he might try something crazy. We laughed a lot about it afterward."
THE FULL STATEMENTS IN THE VIDEO THAT FOLLOWS..