Bartzokas: «Everyone that played helped us win»
In the press conference following Olympiacos' win over Panathinaikos, coach Giorgos Bartzokas commented on the derby against their “eternal” rival, which was influenced by the demanding Euroleague schedule and the team's absences.
In his opening statement, he said: “It was our first game in the Greek League with high demands due to its prestige and some special circumstances. It’s very difficult - for both teams - to prepare for this kind of game (due to the continuous Euroleague fixtures). Additionally, our backcourt was missing several players, just as Panathinaikos missed Nunn, which was also significant. We played badly on both ends of the court and very hastily as well. We rushed into shots without good balance, over-dribbled, didn’t follow our game plan (which was to attack the second defensive rotation), and failed to control our emotions. Panathinaikos scored in transition due to our poor execution and turnovers. Our defense wasn’t solid, and we didn’t even commit fouls. In the second half, there was a clear improvement; key players played the way they were supposed to: Tyler Dorsey, Sasha (Vezenkov), Ward, and Ntilikina. Everyone contributed in the end to help us win the game.
A big thank you to our fans. This game doesn’t mean much; it’s still early in the season. I believe both teams may suffer other losses in the league due to the Euroleague schedule this year. Also, last year we lost here but still won the championship. Today, it was more about pride. Once again, thank you to our fans. I’d like to make a call for support: the team has played on Friday and Sunday, two demanding games, and the upcoming one on Tuesday is also very tough. Given the accumulated fatigue and lack of energy, we’d love to see the fans present and helping us, pushing us forward, because the schedule is truly very difficult for all teams. Hopefully, we’ll also have one or two more players available.”
When asked if it’s too early in the season for such a big game: “Personally, I wouldn’t have wanted to play this match at this time of the year; for many reasons, including Tuesday’s game. After games against Panathinaikos, you feel drained of energy. Its importance is well known, of course, it doesn’t decide a title, but the pride at stake in these derbies is real. I feel more relief than joy or satisfaction, especially since we have another game coming up on Tuesday.”
At the end of the press conference, Olympiacos' sports director, Christos Bafes, stated that the club had submitted a proposal to ESAKE (the Greek Basketball League) to schedule derby games later in the season, but the request was rejected.