Bartzokas: «It was a must-win game»
Giorgos Bartzokas spoke at the post-game press conference immediately after Olympiacos’ victory over Bayern in Round 21 of the EuroLeague.
In his opening statement about the game, Olympiacos’ head coach said: “Happy New Year to everyone. It was our first home game of the year and, of course, it was very important for us to win. It was a must-win game, I can say that out loud. You probably saw that it was not easy at all. We had to increase the intensity of our defense in the second half because in the first one we allowed 78% shooting on two-pointers and 46% on three-pointers. There is no team in the EuroLeague without talent, without a game plan, and without good coaching. The second half was much better for us defensively. We made many deflections, forced them into 21 turnovers, and at the same time we had 28 assists, even though we didn’t shoot well from three-point range. It was important to start the year with a win at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, and now we move on following our schedule. At the moment, the issue we have to deal with is Monte Morris’ injury, and I hope it is just a sprain. As for the rest, Tyson Ward returned and was outstanding in the second quarter. I didn’t want to use him more because he had been out for a month, and I told him before the game that he would play more only if it was urgent or if the game developed easily. Tyrique Jones will play against Karditsa on Sunday. Shaquielle McKissic is returning, Frank Ntilikina as well, and hopefully we will have a full roster by the end of the season.”
Asked about how much the team is affected by Morris’ injury, Bartzokas said: “I don’t think there is a unit of measurement for what is more difficult and how we will manage it. This is the reality of European basketball. There are so many games and players get injured one after another. If you look at the statistics, you will see that injuries are far more frequent compared to previous years. You can’t play 3 or 4 games in 6 or 7 days and expect everything to be perfect. And without proper preparation or training. The games are played at high intensity, with a lot of contact, great speed, and a lot of stress because the games are obviously very important, so this is inevitable.”
Then, answering a question about Tyrique Jones, Bartzokas stated: “A fantastic addition for this time in the season and beyond. I believe he will help us a great deal; it was something we needed. I would really like to say ‘thank you’ to the Presidents, because they invested a lot of money, to the entire front office, and to Nikos Lepenioitis, who handled the situation. If I were to tell you the details, you would understand how difficult an undertaking it was.”
You can watch the full Press Conference in the VIDEO below.