Bartzokas: «It's important that were focused»
In the post game press conferene following Olympiacos' win against Iraklis in the Ivanofeio, Giorgos Bartzokas made the following comments.
In his initial statement, he said: «Due to the long absence of Iraklis from the Stoiximan GBL I hadn't had a clear memory of the atmosphere here. It's always hard on the opponent and especially warm and supportive for the home team. The conditions with the gym are particular, it has a very low cieling and Iraklis has a really good team and a really good coach. They are athletic and they play well, so I want to congratulate them. For us, the fact the we stayed focused almost throughout the game with exception of a 5-to-7-minute stretch during the second quarter was extremely important. I want to give credit to my players, for winning the game with a very small rotation, due to leaving so many players out to rest or for medical treatments. We are happy with the result».
Asked about the closed rotation and Fournier's game, Bartzokas commented: «The schedule is very loaded right now. We have three games next week if we win the first and second ones. We must be very cautious. Some of our players carry a heavy load siince other players in their position are out due to injuries, like Wlakup for instance. Dorsey had to deal with a light sprain and the rest of our point-guards are injured. Ntilikina had only started practicing for 3 or 4 days and it took Even Fournier to play that incredible game and for all the other players to stay focused. It's something I do appreciate: When a team faces difficulties, a player of Fournier's caliber saw that the team was in a tough sport and came out to play the way he did».
About the large number of games in the season and the injuries, the coach replied: «I have stressed that many times. For me and practically for all the coaches in the EuroLeague, less practice makes our job tougher. Of course, more games bring revenue, high tv audiences, people at the gyms and make for very competitive games, I completely agree with that. But right now, we play about 90 games per season. There are also international players that get to play in the summer as well. You understand that injuries and being out of shape are completely normal things. In our job, less games would account for better spectacle, better offensive and defensive execution and basketball itself back to its core. Right now, it's more about the show and the marketing around it».