Bartzokas: «A very important win, especially at this time in the season» (Vid)
In the post game press conference following Olympiacos' winning game against Crvena Zvezda, Giorgos Bartzokas made the following comments:
In his opening statement, the Olympiacos head coach said: “It was a good game for us and the win is always very important. We knew it would be a tough game. Zvezda is a very experienced team with players at every position who know how to play the game. We had the lead throughout; we were even up by 14, but we were in a hurry to finish it. We didn’t run our half-court offense properly and we made many unnecessary mistakes. If I remember correctly, we had 9 turnovers in the second half. Of course, we also gave them some second chances through crucial offensive rebounds. In any case, it’s a win, and especially at this time in the season, it’s very important. Our effort so far has been remarkable and we must continue like this in the next 11 games in order to finish as high as possible in the standings.”
When asked about the second chances Olympiacos allowed, as well as Walkup’s playmaking and the performances of McKissic and Ntilikina, Bartzokas replied: “I believe that everyone contributes and you shouldn’t single out players. Some are better at scoring, others at distributing the ball, others at defending, and others at grabbing rebounds. It’s a puzzle of people and athletes who have to do many things together in order to reach a good final result, so everyone’s contribution is important; even of those who didn’t play.”
Regarding the fact that Walkup accounts for 72% of Olympiacos’ assists while he is on the court, the coach added: “Right now, what’s happening is that the other 3 point-guards we have, who could share the load in that area, are out. Ntilikina returned today and helped us, but we’re still waiting for the others. Thomas plays the way he plays. He’s not a scorer. He’s a player who reads the game well, defends the best opposing player, and as for me praising him… how can I put it? It’s better if you give him praise, because it is well established how I think of him and it might seem like I’m exaggerating. He’s important, and especially while the others are injured, all the credit goes to him because he’s carrying a very heavy load.”
You can watch the full press conference in the VIDEO below.