Bartzokas: «It was a very dangerous game for us»
In the Press Conference after Olympiacos’ win over Paris for Round 12 of the EuroLeague, Giorgos Bartzokas talked about the game commenting as follows:
“It was a very dangerous game for us, both before and throughout its duration, especially when they started shooting the ball the way they did in the first quarter, mainly because of the lack of intensity in our defense. The 2nd quarter though was completely different. The score was 37–20 during that time.
In the end, we managed to win the game; we were quite solid until the end. Congratulations to Paris, they present a very good basketball model with the way they play and execute. And of course, congratulations to Robinson because he played an excellent game.”
Next, when asked whether Olympiacos controlled the game in the second half, Giorgos Bartzokas said: “We rushed things; we decided to take shots too quickly. We have many scorers who feel good when they’re scoring and when they’re open; they tend to be aggressive towards the basket. I don’t mean this negatively; that’s just how it is. I think overall we hurried, we weren’t patient enough, but we also took some very open shots that we missed, and Paris made a comeback and cut it to 2 points. But immediately after that we had a burst. Walkup was very important when he came back in, with his defense along with Ward and with his consecutive points. We cannot complain about a EuroLeague win; every team puts in great intensity, energy, and effort. These games are truly exhausting for the players.”
The next question concerned the unjustified pressure on a team that is one win away from first place, and about the confidence he feels with the roster he has. The Olympiacos' coach response was: “Look, every time I’m asked to answer this, people try to interpret my words however they want. I will say that this is Olympiacos; this is the pressure we have to face. It’s also the expectations we’ve created over the past years by going to the Final Four and winning many titles. Olympiacos fans are always demanding. On the other hand, they are always very supportive too. We had another sold-out game today. The atmosphere was very warm, and wherever we go, we have their support.
There will be games where we play well and games where we don’t. For example, after the Milan game there was an entire debate about who took the last shot, while the criticism should have been directed at me, not the team, that we didn’t play well, that we were terrible. We played a very bad game in Milan, and that criticism is valid and deserved. We didn’t play well, and we are all responsible, starting with the coach. But in general, afterward there is speculation: ‘Who should have taken the last shot? Why is this player performing this way? These lineup combinations don’t work.’ I have no issue with it. I know exactly where I am; I’ve been in Olympiacos’ bench for many years. Personally, I feel good. Of course, this win today was a relief. Consider that the previous loss came after three straight wins, and today we won again and are one win away from the top, but there is this widespread belief that Olympiacos needs to make moves. I’m used to it, but I think this cycle affects the players more.”
You can watch the full press conference in the VIDEO below.