Bartzokas: «We must play according to our level»
Olympiacos wants to get back to his European games just like he got to finish them before the Greek Cup intermission: with a win!
The ‘red & whites’ will be playing in Valencia tomorrow (24/02, 20.30 CET), a team they had lost to in the first round.
“Thankfully, we have had four days to get back to our normal rhythm”, our team’s coach, Giorgos Bartzokas got to stress. “We played three back to back games and there is mental but also physical fatigue. But we have the chance to get back to normal standards in order to play a tough game, like the one against Valencia”.
On whether he was troubled by the fact that Valencia has had more time to prepare, given that they were eliminated early on from the Copa del Rey, he replied: “We don’t care about that. They did not play three games, they played one, they had more time to prepare”.
Highlighting the Spanish team, the coach pointed out: “We had lost in our first encounter, in a game that we have had control of, we had been leading by 16, but we lost it at the end. They play the same tempo like all Spanish teams do. They are a team that is very good with the transition game, they have a core that has been playing together for many years and they have added player this season that have quality and they also have a new coach. They have good co-operations, they have big forwards and gives you problems. They used a few tricks in our first game. They have had a successful course with the Euroleague up to now and they rank 8th. We are going to have to play according to our level, just like we have done in previous 5 or 6 Euroleague games. Details are going to be very important”.
Sloukas: «We want to remain at the top»
“I’m 100% ready. I’m also going to try along with my team-mates to get a very important win”, was what Kostas Sloukas stressed and continued with following: “The team has to regroup. Winning the Cup must not alter our course. Olympiacos does not need extra motivation to win, we are already motivated and we are also ranking 1st so we need to remain there. Valencia is a pretty good team and they have been playing very well at home”.
Asked about the way Olympiacos has been re-grouping, the said: “It’s the experience, the mindset, the character of the team. All these play a role. Of course, we need to see all of these in action, but I’m optimistic, because throughout the season the team has shown a very good and competitive character”.