Bartzokas: «The game against Efes is going to be demanding»
Olympiacos will be hosting Anadolu Efes tomorrow (30/10, 20.00 CET), for the 6th round of the Euroleague and to win, according to Giorgos Bartzokas, the ‘reds’ need to be good in many areas of the game…
“Efes is still the same team it was last year, if we suppose Larkin is included in the line up. They are a team with the same coach and the exact same players. Also, we need to keep in mind they are a team that dominated last season, they were first. Tomorrow’s game is going to be very demanding for us. We are going to have to be very good with many areas of the game to win”, the ‘reds’ coach commented.
Asked whether he has determined that the absence of fans is a factor that impacts Olympiacos, he replied: “I insist that the absence of fans creates a new status, new circumstances that usually benefit the guests. I think that some reporters have analyzed the data according to data, concluding that last season was very different for the hosts at this point. Based on statistics and numbers what I believe proves to be true. But finally, what we need to do is to deal with basketball, because the most we are preoccupied with COVID, or the fans or anything else, we miss the forest for the tree. The truth is that the game is played within the four court lines, where we need to be good. Just like I said, it is a very demanding game, because they are a team with the basic characteristic that they play with a lot of facilitators and executioners in their line ups. What they had last season as well, is that they had three different players to play the 1, 2 and 3 positions to play pick n’ roll or with similar abilities in regard to execution and facilitation. That made them really hard to bring down”.
Talking about the game against Bayern in Munich, he said: “It’s obvious that either literally or not, we were arrogant in the game against Bayern. We had won three games in a row and seemed to be spoiled. In plays, that I believe decide the game, all the challenged balls went to the opponent’s hands. We were not up to the challenge, we shouldn’t have been like that and lost. Despite actually losing by only a few possessions. You don’t have an excuse to not be tactically ready in a game, especially when you have a week to prepare. You don’t have an excuse to be surprised by things that come your way, because you have all the information you need. What you need to do every time is to be focused and play with great intensity, if you don’t play with great intensity and athleticism in the Euroleague, you lose, that’s only clear. Euroleague is not a league of talent, according to my opinion. Teams that play with great intensity have actually a great chance at winning”.
When asked to answer why his players dealt with the game that way, despite Bayern having shown that they are in a great momentum, he stressed that: “This often cannot be explained… Many times, and I only say that to make it clear, people believe because we won Panathinaikos in their gym and two very strong teams like Milano and Maccabi at home, that we somehow are going to bring the game where we want it. And suddenly we see that face difficulties, because all Euroleague games are difficult. Look at the results of all the teams. We all need, players and coaches, to adjust to the new circumstances. There are less games, most teams don’t play their local leagues and maybe with the lockdown enforced in some countries, games are going to become even less… We are starting talking about whether we need to have rhythm. But for me, there is no room for excuses. When we come on the floor to play, we need to fight for every possession. If we lose, doing that, it’s one thing. But it’s forbidden not to be fighting for every ball”.
«We should be who we are»
Aaron Harrison pointed out about the game against Efes: “They are a very talented team, so we need to play hard and defend very well to win. We need to move the ball. They have height in the post and players that protect the rim, so we need to play as a team. This is the key to have the chance to win”.
Asked about the reasons the team lost in Munich and what they need to change to win tomorrow’s game, he said: “It was a tough game against Bayern. We did not play up to our potential. We weren’t ourselves. I believe that we need to be ourselves against Efes… Pass the ball, play tough defense, get the rebounds. This is the greatest key and that’s what we are going to try and bring on the floor tomorrow”.