Bartzokas: «We deserved it» (vid)
The coach of Olympiacos, Giorgos Bartzokas, pondered the importance of a back-to-back qualification to a final four and stressed that without the Presidents, Panagiotis and Giorgos Angelopoulos, Olympiacos would not be at the top level.
“I believe we don’t need to say much tonight. Everyone knows the importance of this game. How important it was for both teams. In this tough series, after regaining home court advantage in Istanbul, we came here and made sure through practicing and the talks we have had with the players that we were going to be all on the same page. The magnitude of what we accomplished is huge. I believe it was something we deserved, due to the way we had been playing for nine months. We were truly stable and consistent. I don’t believe there is anyone doubting us deserving to qualify to the final four. It’s the second final four in a row, following the rebuilding of the team, which is really remarkable. First of all, I would like to congratulate the Presidents, the Angelpoulos brothers, who have created this incredible work environment for us, the administration, my associates, all of the staff and of course our players. I don’t mean to flatter the Presidents, however, without them Olympiacos would not have been at this level. Also, I want to thank our fans. They’ve been creating an incredible atmosphere, throughout the season. Apart from succeeding in qualifying to the final four, I think that our greatest accomplishment is brining back Olympiacos’ fans at the SEF, and also in every gym in Europe. Last year, we had 12,000 of them in Belgrade. 85,000 people in just a few minutes tried to buy a ticket for tonight’s game. Our fans must be proud for our team’s fighting spirit”.
WATCH THE FULL STATEMENTS MADE AFTER THE 5TH GAME IN THE VIDEO THAT FOLLOWS