Bartzokas: «We want to thank our fans»
During the press conference after the game vs PAOK for the 20th round of the Greek Basketball League, Giorgos Bartzokas mentioned the following:
In his opening statement about the game, the Olympiacos coach said: “First of all, I would like to wish good luck to coach Boutskos. He is a very good coach; I know this and that’s why I say it. PAOK is a big club and, regardless of whether it has focused its ambitions on next season, in basketball we all are evaluated every day, so I wish him the best of luck. As for our team, it was an afternoon game just two days after the one against Panathinaikos, which is always special, and ahead of us we have two more games on Tuesday and Thursday against French teams, which are also demanding because of their athleticism. For that reason, several fresh players had to play, and they did well, considering we had 30 assists, scored 100 points, and defeated a good team like PAOK by a large margin. We also want to thank our fans very much. Once again, many of them came to watch the game, including many families on a Sunday afternoon. It’s something we truly appreciate.”
Regarding what he expects from games like today’s, Bartzokas added: “The only thing I demand is that players compete with intensity while they are on the court and that they pass the ball. I don’t shout at someone if they miss a shot or free throws; what I want is cooperation. This is purely a mental matter. I admit that the mental aspect is challenged when you must play 4 games in 6 days, especially games of such importance. So, I try to manage the situation as well as possible. I’m the one responsible if things don’t go well, and I must push the team in such a way that it doesn’t get into trouble. It’s important for us to maintain home-court advantage in the Greek league, and we don’t want to lose it. Sunday afternoon games like this can sometimes lead to relaxation, which can also bring injuries, because if you don’t play with intensity, these kinds of issues can come up.”