Georgios Bartzokas spoke at the press conference after Olympiacos’ game against Baskonia, and in his opening statement, the Olympiacos coach said:
“After the exhausting schedule we’ve had, playing 7 games in 14 days, and all the more, very important ones for our EuroLeague journey, I can tell you this was one of the most difficult games I’ve coached this season. It’s natural for the coaching staff not to feel certainty in games like this. That’s exactly what happened, because I saw our players being a bit lazy on the court, not sticking to the game plan, making rushed decisions, and ultimately allowing Baskonia to showcase their talent and what they have as a team. In the first half, we counted 5 instances where Baskonia's players scored with layups behind our defense. Before the game, our main goal was to avoid conceding baskets from such cuts. In any case, we won in the end, and it’s a very important victory that I truly value. We had 26 assists, scored 90 points, and achieved this despite not just poor but rather disastrous 3-point shooting. Good luck to Baskonia in their upcoming games. We have a break in the Greek league, and it’s very important for us to rest ahead of Tuesday’s game against Valencia.”
When asked about the frustration during the first half, Bartzokas replied: “There was huge frustration from everyone on the bench, including myself, because we were doing the exact opposite of what we were supposed to execute. Of course, afterward I told the players that I understand; it’s only human. But in that moment, you have to ‘sound the alarm’ because you can see what’s coming. You see a team not executing well and thinking it will win easily; and that never happens in the EuroLeague.”
Regarding the fact that the players entered the game relaxed after a big win and about the proper mindset they should have, the coach said: “It goes against human nature. I don’t believe it happens only to our team; it happens to all teams in Europe, and in similar situations they often pay for it with a loss. I won’t mention examples again, because I might be misunderstood and people may think I’m targeting specific teams. I’m talking about all teams. Serious teams, with excellent coaching programs and good players, suffer from this. This complacency in sports is something that is humanly impossible to completely eliminate; it’s part of human nature. When just two days ago there was such focus due to the importance of the game we played against Fenerbahce, within a day and a half it’s impossible to have the same level of concentration. I’m not saying you should play badly, but I can understand it myself. Our schedule hasn’t been like any other team’s. March has been incredibly demanding for us, and it’s still ongoing. The number of games in the last 14 days has been extremely high.”
