Bartzokas: «We can’t be using fatigue as an excuse»

Olympiacos is determined to maintain his home court intact through tomorrow’s game (26/10, 20.00 CET) against Alba Berlin.

Talking about the German team, the coach of Olympiacos, Giorgos Bartzokas, pointed out: “Their game style has completed changed compared to last season. They have turned into a pick n’ roll team, while last year they were mainly a team that was executing from long range. Sikma is their most important player. If you take a look at his numbers, but also those who know him, know that he’s a player that can play well the ‘4’ and ‘5’ positions, but he’s also the team facilitator. He’s also a good rebounder. To be more specific, three players, Lo, DaSilva and Sikma produce 50% of their scoring. That’s indicative of how our opponent plays”.

When asked to comment on the fatigue factor, he made clear: “There’s no point talking about it… The more you say, the more tired you get. The same conditions apply to all the teams and it’s only October. We can’t be tired, nor use this as an excuse. They all have this kind of schedule. We don’t only participate the Euroleague, that is a hard task, but just like any other team, we play the national league. You can all see how weekends play out. Teams can’t be on the up and up for forty minutes each passing day, that’s why you need to minimize the periods you don’t play well”.

Martin is out, Papanikolaou doubtful

Our team shall be playing without the American center, Hassan Martin, who has been dealing with a knee problem (relapsing water cysts in both knees). As for Kostas Papanikolaou, who got injured in his knee yesterday (24/10) in the game against Iraklis, his participation remains doubtful.