Bartzokas: «We must be mentally ready»
The coach of Olympiacos, Giorgos Bartzokas, thinks that the key to the 4th game of the Euroleague playoffs against Monaco (29/04, 21.00 CET) is going to his players’ level of mental readiness.
“Truth is there is some wear down. The intensity the game was played with last night was huge, but they have worked the whole season so that their bodies are ready for games like that. Of course the same scenario goes for the opposing team as well, who also played with great intensity last night. But most of all, I believe that because the mind drives the body, it’s always an issue of how ready the mind is for these kind of series. If our mind is at the right place, in our head, the body will come through”.
Asked about the factor that will be determining tomorrow’s game, he replied: “As you have seen up to now, each game is determined by different factors. The first one was played with very hard defense and went to low scoring. The second one went to high scoring. They got many points from the ‘iso’. Last night both teams scored enough points, the game was played with great intensity and pressure in the defense, but scoring was there. Also how the refs are calling the game is always a factor, it defines the outlook of the game. So, I can’t say what will determine the game. We obviously should not allow them to have the ball in their hands, in the full court pressure they exert with very good defenders on the ball. We have to set our game and have good execution, because when we have that, we score. We also have to manage our emotions a little and not go to hasty attacks. We must make good decisions in terms of defense and go for the rebounds that are really important in these games”.