Bartzokas: «It was a good reaction for us» (Vid)
Giorgos Bartzokas spoke at the post-game press conference following Olympiacos’ win over Virtus Bologna.
In his opening statement, the Olympiacos head coach said: “It was a good reaction from us after the performance in Dubai. It was important to dominate defensively, which I think we did after the first quarter. That allowed us to run the floor, create fast-break situations, and find open shots, and that’s not easy against a team that is very strong defensively like Virtus. We scored more than 60 points in the first half and over 100 overall. Congratulations to our fans for the great atmosphere and to our players. We must not change anything in our mindset, take it one game at a time and do our best to finish as high as possible in the standings. I would also like, along with my staff and the entire club, to express our deep sorrow and condolences to the family of Thanassis Skourtopoulos. We have known each other since we were kids. It is something that saddens everyone in Greek basketball. We wish strength and courage to his family.”
When asked about the team’s mentality, proper foul distribution, and the adaptation of the new players, Bartzokas commented: “As far as the second part is concerned, I am very, very satisfied. They have understood that they are in a club where their contribution may be smaller in terms of minutes, but greater in terms of value and importance for what this team can achieve. They feel the support of the fans and understand that anyone on the team who sacrifices, fights, and is not selfish is appreciated in this club. That has always been this team’s mentality, and I think it helps me convey to the players how important it is not just to try to score, but to help the team win. If we exclude the first quarter, when we finished with two fouls, both offensive, on screens, from that point on we got our hands on the ball, protected the paint, didn’t give Virtus second chances, and continued to apply intense pressure on the ball. As a result, very talented players like Edwards and Vildoza couldn’t score, and only Alston remained effective, who is a very good shooter. Overall, I think we have the right mentality; we just need to show it every week. You see the EuroLeague results; everyone can beat everyone anywhere. As long as you stay grounded and humble, it can only be a good thing.”
On how he feels when former players speak highly of him, and about Evan Fournier’s support, Bartzokas said: “I feel a bit uncomfortable because now I’m talking about myself… I’ve had the same behavior for many years, with the good and the bad elements.... I think that within the team no one should doubt that I don’t hold grudges or second thoughts; I just want to support the players, even when I raise my voice, which some may not take well. That’s part of the process and the kind of pressure you have to apply if you want to lead a team to achieve important things. Obviously, along this journey, some players like Delaney and others have a good opinion of me, while others may not. That happens to all coaches, in all teams, and in all families. I feel good; you understand what I mean. Especially after what happened in Dubai, things started to become a bit personalized, and since I stand for the exact opposite, I would like us to stay focused on the team.”
Regarding whether calculations can be made about home-court advantage and the condition of injured players, the Olympiacos coach stated: “Mathematics was my worst subject at school, which is why I didn’t pursue applied sciences. There are analysts who look at the data, and I think they’ve mentioned 24+ wins for home-court advantage. That goes against what I believe. I believe the most important game is always the next one. It’s better not to get carried away with calculations, because we might be wrong; you see how many teams are separated by just one or two wins. Tiebreakers may come into play, and of course completely unexpected results always happen. You saw Panathinaikos lose to Partizan, Maccabi win away against Crvena Zvezda after their 4-game winning streak, Villeurbanne shock Virtus, and Efes, who are low in the standings, beat Zalgiris for the second time. No real analysis can be made at this point. The only thing you need to do is focus on winning and then see where you end up. As for the injured players, they are on a positive path. Morris trained today; he ran and will gradually return, with the goal of being available for the cup games. Papanikolaou will definitely play in the cup games. We hope he can play against Red Star, but it might be a bit early; it's difficult to say. Ntilikina had a double practice session today and is close to returning, though he still has some minor discomfort, and it depends on him when he’ll be fully back. Larentzakis suffered a first-degree ankle sprain yesterday in practice. It’s nothing serious, but it will take about a week to ten days for sure.”
You can watch the full press conference in the VIDEO below.