Fournier: «It's going to be a battle; we must not let them be more aggressive than us»
Olympiacos will face Panathinaikos in the final of the Allwyn Final 8 of the Greek Cup, and Giorgos Bartzokas spoke at Media Day along with Evan Fournier and Tyler Dorsey, one day before the big matchup.
The team’s head coach spoke about the game and emphasized: “As Panathinaikos has shown, they are in good form in the two games in Crete. I think the signing of Nigel Hayes-Davis has given the team a psychological boost. Of course, we expect that we’ll have to play very well in order to win.”
Regarding the status of Nikola Milutinov and Tyrique Jones, Bartzokas said: “Practice will show. We’ve put a brace on Milutinov’s hand to see if he can play and whether he feels pain. Tyrique Jones has been undergoing treatment and has done everything he needed to do so far. He will also test it in practice so we can see whether the discomfort from his tendinitis is manageable or not.”
On Morris’ performance and the so-called “pleasant headache” regarding the 6 foreign players, the coach replied: “All this talk about headaches is a nice journalistic cliché that’s been around for 50 years. Basketball evolves, and the conditions of each game determine how you approach your roster; meaning which foreign players you use. For example, who plays at the ‘5’ position in a game, affects who plays at the ‘1’. I don’t know if you understand what I mean. It has to do with how they match up defensively. So, each time we’ll have a discussion with our staff and with all the players to explain that who stays out is not personal. It’s purely about making sure everyone feels useful and everyone plays. We have some different circumstances tomorrow. We need 3 point-guards, but also 3 big men because no one is certain. It depends on how practice goes and how tonight’s treatments progress. At this point, it’s completely open-ended who the 6 foreign players will be.”
When asked whether Olympiacos’ previous EuroLeague win over Panathinaikos serves as a guide, he answered: “Clearly not. No one is thinking about what happened in the past. Since our last win, many things have happened in both teams; both positive and negative. Life evolves and everything changes. These games are very special and unique. Often both teams play at a certain level, and one or two plays decide the whole game. Therefore, we better be cautious with what we say. We believe in our team. We believe we are a good team and that we can beat Panathinaikos. We’ve proven that. But there’s still a long way from that to actually doing it.”
For his part, Tyler Dorsey, who returned after traveling to the U.S. for personal reasons, commented on his comeback: “I’m here. I’m happy the guys did the job in the last games and that we reached the final, and hopefully we can bring it home. I’ve slept well. We’ll see tomorrow. I’m ready to play, whatever happens.”
On how important it was that the team allowed him to be absent last week, Dorsey added: “It was something I had to do, so I’m grateful they allowed me and gave me the time to go. I’m back and ready to finish the rest of the season.”
Fournier, who will compete for his first Greek Cup title with Olympiacos, also spoke at Media Day: “I’m excited. I love playing in a tough environment. It will be a good game tomorrow. Every time we play Panathinaikos, it’s fun. It’s physical, the fans are very passionate. I’m looking forward to finishing the week with a good win.”
Regarding Olympiacos’ 5 straight wins over Panathinaikos, the French guard said: “Every game is a different story, but if I were on the other side, I’d want to do everything to end the streak. I would do whatever I could to win. It will be a battle in every aspect, but we can’t let them be more aggressive than us.”
You can watch the full statements in the VIDEO below.