Bartzokas: «We must be fighting the same way we were doing throughout the season»
Not only the team received a warm welcome by the Crvena Zvezda fans, but also Giorgos Bartzokas received an equally warm one by the Serbian reporters!
The coach of Olympiacos received a warm applause following the end of the Press Conference, while on behalf of the twenty reporters that were present, one got to tell him that he’s the most polite coach that has visited Belgrade, after replying to all the questions asked of him after his team was defeated!
“Congratulations to Crvena Zvezda for playing with motivation and a will to win. They played hard and with energy”, Giorgos Bartzokas said and continued: “I try to convince our players that right now, everyone is extra motivated when playing with us, even if they don’t stand at a chance at qualifying. No one will be giving us anything for free… We can’t be taking anything for granted. We had to have bled on the floor tonight to win and we didn’t do that. We have had too many players totally missing the importance of the game. We have had many players on a bad night and I’m not talking about shooting percentages, but about ‘feeling’ the game, about what they had to be doing to play their part, to win the game. Anyway, we have one more chance. If we beat Baskonia at home, we are going to finish in first place, which is going to be an incredible achievement for our team. Of course, to do that, we must play much better than we did tonight. I’m certain this game will help us think what’s important with basketball these days and what it is we need to have as a team to finish the season the best way we can. Good luck to Zvezda in the Serbian League”.
When asked to talk about the atmosphere the fans of Zvezda created, he said: “It was amazing. Very supporting for Crvena Zvezda, but also very polite and respectful to us. It’s something I do appreciate”.
About his explanation about the fact that the ‘red & whites’ played below their usual standards, he commented: “If you ask me why my players were off their game, I have to tell you that it’s something we have to analyze. We have been winning plenty, we have a winning record of ten road games, but it seems that right now my players are out of shape for various different reasons. Some due to injuries… But they have to recover. I cannot accept that we are tired of winning. Sometimes it takes some tough losses to return to your basic basketball principles, that are always important. I can’t say we are bored of winning, but I’m telling that some losses, like the one tonight, help the coaches convince the players about what’s important in basketball. One rebound, a good defense, a good foul sometimes…. They are important to win games and we have high expectations. Up to now, we have done really well in any competition we have participated. We won the SuperCup and the Greek Cup, we are undefeated in Basket League, we are at the top of the ranking with the Euroleague. We simply have to keep our heads on our shoulders and fight the same way we have been fighting throughout the season”.
Finally, about which team he would be choosing as his opponent for the playoffs, if he had that chance, he replied: “I don’t have any preference. Whoever ‘chooses’ their opponent, the Gods of basketball punish them”.