Bartzokas and Dorsey about Maccabi
Olympiacos’ head coach Giorgos Bartzokas, speaking ahead of the team's departure for Belgrade, discussed the upcoming game against Maccabi Tel Aviv (October 16, 21:00 CET) for the 5th round of the Euroleague. The Piraeus team’s coach referred to the fatigue from back-to-back games, the unique challenges of this season, and the preparation required against a demanding, offensively oriented team. When asked about injured players, he mentioned that Thomas Walkup and Evan Fournier are expected to play in the Greek League game against Panionios on Sunday (October 19).
On fatigue and preparation ahead of the Maccabi game: “To be honest, we haven’t really had the chance to approach it yet. My assistants have done what they needed to in terms of video analysis. We’ll show one video tonight (October 15) and another tomorrow. Under these unusual circumstances, we’ll try to respond well in the game, against a team that’s very offensive-minded. Even though they didn’t play well yesterday, in their previous games they proved their value; they have a unique playing style, good scorers, and very creative guards. It won’t be an easy game. And, you know, the conditions in Belgrade are always a bit special, with no fans. We hope to be more consistent than yesterday, for longer stretches of the game.”
On managing physical and mental fatigue in a schedule with almost no time for practice: “Look, we have a staff that helps the players a lot with this, physiotherapists, masseurs, trainers. And of course, every player at this level has a special awareness of how they eat, how they rest. That’s how it has to be, otherwise, the Euroleague leaves you behind. I hope we’re ready to play. The same goes for Maccabi, who also played yesterday. I repeat, every Euroleague game is very difficult, and you have to prepare for all possible scenarios.”
On injuries: “Yes, I believe both Fournier and Walkup will play against Panionios. This morning, they had a good individual workout. They definitely won’t play in tomorrow’s game, but I hope they return on Sunday because the rest of the players have been carrying a heavy load.”
On the game against Efes and takeaways: “You know, I don’t like taking only what suits me from a game and ignoring the rest. Every game requires analysis; what the team did well and what it didn’t. Teams at this stage are still building habits, routines, trying to play well consistently. No one has fully achieved that yet. I’m sure if you look at the other teams’ issues, you’ll understand. It can’t be any other way. Eurobasket ended late and suddenly every Euroleague coach is expected to deliver results right away, which is unrealistic. It takes time. And I’m not saying this because we lost yesterday, I’d say the same after a win. Unfortunately, that’s the reality we’re in, and we have to get through it.”
Tyler Dorsey: “The only thing on my mind is the next game”
Tyler Dorsey also spoke about the loss to Anadolu Efes, the upcoming game against Maccabi Tel Aviv, managing fatigue, and the need for an immediate response.
On the tough schedule and the next game after the Efes loss: “Honestly, the only thing I’m thinking about is the next game. It’s actually good to have less than 42 hours after a loss so you don’t overanalyse it and you get a chance to bounce back. We have a big game against Maccabi coming up. They lost too, so they’ll be hungry for a win, and we have to be ready and better than we were in the last game. It’s good to have another game this quickly, especially after a loss like that.”
On physical and mental recovery: “Just sleep and rest as much as possible. But honestly, my body is built for this. I’m used to this kind of pace and, in a way, I like it because it helps you keep rhythm and stay in the flow of the game. You have to fight through the fatigue; that’s our life, that’s what we’ve been doing since we were kids. You just have to adapt to the schedule and to whatever comes your way.”
On the intensity of the European schedule: “Personally, yes; I prefer playing over practicing. I like having three games a week. Honestly, I think the season should end sooner. We usually finish in early June, but I think it should be earlier so you can really give your body a proper rest in the summer.”
On what Olympiacos needs to do against Maccabi: “We need to connect both halves of the game. Me and my teammates need to play consistently throughout the entire game. We start strong, but in the second half we can’t maintain it. We need to watch film, understand what we need to fix for the Maccabi game, and finish games better. I personally need to be better in the next one.”
On captain Kostas Papanikolaou reaching 400 Euroleague appearances: “I wish him health (laughs) as he’s getting older. He’s a legend in this organization and really important to me since day one at Olympiacos. Total respect to a player who has sacrificed his body and given so much for this team.”