Vezenkov: «Let's take one more step forward together with our fans»
Olympiacos will host Real Madrid as part of Round 36 of the EuroLeague, and the Peace and Friendship Stadium (SEF) will be sold out on Tuesday (April 7, 20:15 CET) for a game that could determine first place in the regular season. Giorgos Bartzokas and Sasha Vezenkov spoke about the big matchup during today’s Media Day.
In his opening statement about the game, Giorgos Bartzokas said: “I think there is no doubt that everyone knows both the importance of the game and the capabilities of our opponent. A team that has lost only once at home. They have one of the best defenses in the competition, with several players who are very strong in the perimeter defense and Tavares protecting the paint. They allow the fewest assists to their opponents, and we must stay very focused on our plan, not get carried away by what they allow, and do the things we want to do on the court. It’s a very high-quality team with an excellent coach and great size, and they are a strong contender for the Final Four.”
When asked about any new injuries, the coach replied: “At the moment, no. There is accumulated fatigue for some players who played three consecutive games, but nothing that would keep anyone out. At least for now. Unfortunately, you know our schedule: Friday - Sunday - Tuesday - Thursday. Essentially, zero practice, only games, video, opponent analysis, and the players’ effort to follow what we tell them.”
On the playoffs and first place, Bartzokas said: “With three wins, I think we will mathematically secure first place. But since other results also play a role in the final standings, we want to win tomorrow, which will be very important for us, and go after as many wins as possible until the end. Our goal was to make the playoffs, meaning the top six, and from the start of the season we said that home-court advantage would be important. If we achieve it, we’ll see who our opponent will be. Whoever it is, from 1 to 8, will be a strong team and will require special mental and physical preparation. Reaching the Final Four every year is very difficult. We’ve done it four times in a row, and people may underestimate how hard that is. But it is, especially as competition increases and so many strong teams fight to enter the top 10. We won’t pick our opponent, and we’re not even looking at the next 3 games. We’re only focusing on the one tomorrow.”
Regarding Fall and whether he could get meaningful minutes: “This is not the kind of game for that. It would have been better to give him minutes 2–3 games before that to prepare for such a demanding matchup. We’ll see if he’ll be in the 12-man roster. He is in good condition, but we also have doubts because we don’t even have 5-on-5 practices to evaluate him properly. He trains and is healthy. Whenever we’ve had 5-on-5 sessions, he’s been very competitive and impactful. We need to find the right opportunity without taking risks, both for us and for him. We'll have to see if that will be tomorrow. I don’t have something specific in mind right now. Often, even for the 12-man roster, since we have many available players, decisions depend on the circumstances of the moment.”
On reaching 300 EuroLeague games with Olympiacos, Bartzokas said: “This mainly has to do with the club presidents who trust people. They are not very open to giving trust, but when they do, they do it in a special way. So first of all, it’s about them, because they show stability in how they approach things. I believe they set a path and follow it. Obviously, wins, successes, and titles we’ve achieved in recent years have played a role, but perhaps also the style of basketball we’ve played, which has been embraced by our fans. I didn’t even know last week that I was second, etc. Managing a bench like Olympiacos’ for so many years is very hard, but I enjoy it. 300 games in the EuroLeague are a lot. They all come with great pressure, and I feel very happy, but it’s better to evaluate it at the end.”
Sasha Vezenkov also got to talk about the game: “We’re playing against a team with the same goals. We’re in similar positions in the standings. It’s a team with great experience, a deep roster, and a very good coach. We know that to beat them, we must give 100% on both defense and offense. We understand the difficulty and importance of this game, and together with our fans, we need to take one more step to finish the regular season the way we want.”
On how important his rest was in the domestic league game, Vezenkov said: “It was very important. We like playing games, but we know how crucial the upcoming week is. Two games against very strong teams where you need to be at 100% physically and mentally. We rotated the squad yesterday and we are fully ready for tomorrow.”
On his matchup with Real Madrid’s forwards, the Olympiacos MVP commented: “It doesn’t concern me, as I’ve said many times. Whoever the opponent is, they are welcome. Obviously, they have great talent in all positions, but we focus on ourselves, our team, and what we need to do.”