Bartzokas: “Very solid defense wise” (Vid)

Giorgos Bartzokas made the following comments at the press conference following the end of Game 1 of the EuroLeague Playoffs against Monaco.

“We won the first game of the series, which was our main goal. In the end, the victory came by a 20-point margin, but that doesn’t matter at all; only that we won. I think we need to control our emotions better. We overreacted to certain situations and didn’t show the patience we should have at times, especially in the offense. But of course, we have the talent to score over 90 points. Defensively, we were very compact and held Monaco to 70 points on low shooting percentages.”

When asked about the intensity Olympiacos showed, Bartzokas added: “There’s no specific coaching instruction for that. Playing with intensity is what every team aims for in the Playoffs, and that’s the case everywhere in the world. You play with intensity and react to what the game and your opponent give you. Monaco is a team that used to play with 8 players and now has 10. All of them are very talented, players with great experience and quality. What we need to do is immediately forget what we did today and quickly focus on what we need to do on Thursday, which is to win; even if it’s by just one point.”

Regarding Cory Joseph’s performance, the coach commented: “It was obvious what Cory brought. He added energy, intensity, and playmaking, finishing with 5 assists. Of course, he also scored 13 points, which is a big number for such a game. I don’t think anyone doubted his quality. He’s a key player for Olympiacos, and he showed it today.”

About the condition of Tyson Ward, Bartzokas said: “From today’s game, here’s what we have: Ward hurt his back and went to the locker room in the 4th minute. After that, it was 50-50 whether he could return. Tyler Dorsey suffered an ankle sprain, and when he came off, he either had to go back in immediately so his leg wouldn’t stiffen or stay out. Since we were up by 20 at that point, I chose not to put him back in. Sasha Vezenkov needed stitches on his face, and Cory Joseph also had a cut on his face, though it didn’t require stitches.”

You can watch the full press conference in the VIDEO below.