Bartzokas: «We must focus on our next goal»
In the post-game press conference following Olympiacos' away win against AEK, head coach Giorgos Bartzokas congratulated AEK for finishing third in the Basketball Champions League and analyzed how his team secured the victory as they now turn their focus to the next step of the seasonl; the EuroLeague Final Four.
In his opening remarks, he said: “First of all, I want to congratulate AEK, the organization, their coaches, and players, for finishing third in the Champions League. They made a serious effort this year and deserve praise. As for us, we wanted to finish the series today. We had several players out of the rotation in order to take the next step in our season, which is the EuroLeague Final Four. The fact that we allowed only 25 points in the second half, had 25 assists, and managed the game in a way that allowed us to beat AEK so easily shows our quality; even though there were a lot of ups and downs in our game, especially some possessions where we handed them the ball and they scored in transition. Still, I think we controlled the game, got the win, and now, as I said, we can focus on our next goal.”
On the absences: “They had some minor issues and while they could have played, we preferred not to take any risks so they can be fully ready for the Final Four. It wasn’t anything serious, just small problems; they weren’t 100% healthy.”
Asked whether anything in the game concerned him ahead of the Euroleague Final Four: “Look, I think when we rushed in the second quarter - after we built a 13- or 14-point lead - and started executing quickly without patience, that’s not the kind of basketball we’re used to playing. That’s how AEK managed to cut the lead to three by halftime. Of course, that also had a lot to do with the point guards who were on the floor at that time. We were essentially playing without a point guard; our three main perimeter players, Goss, Walkup, Fournier, and Vildoza, were all out. So, we had to manage that situation differently during that quarter. But I don’t think there’s any basis for comparison. Different players mean different chemistry on the court.”