Olympiacos travels to Nice and then to Monaco to face the home team for the 3rd Game of the EuroLeague Playoffs (05/05, 19:45 CET), and Giorgos Bartzokas and Alec Peters spoke from the Athens airport about the big matchup.
In his opening statement about the game, Giorgos Bartzokas said: “The stakes are high, to make the Final Four, and we are focused on tomorrow’s game. We need to see what we can do better and what to avoid. We must not become complacent because of the absences reported in the media. We believe it’s always difficult to play in that arena. We also have a bad experience there. It’s important to stick to the game plan, stay focused and serious, so we can finish the job tomorrow if possible.”
When asked whether the regular season game in Monte Carlo played a role in Olympiacos’ strong performance in the first two games, the coach replied: “I don’t think so. When we entered the playoffs, we were determined to play our most disciplined basketball; not necessarily our best, because many factors affect that. The key is to be serious and stick to the plan. I can see from practice that all the players are very focused. We want to qualify for yet another Final Four. We believe we deserve to be there, but we have to prove it, because we lost the regular season game on the last play. It’s something we all definitely remember.”
Regarding what Monaco might change at home, Bartzokas said: “It’s a special situation. It’s a low-ceiling arena, not one typically used for EuroLeague-level games. It definitely affects the opponent. They’re a talented team and play more aggressively there. Their guards are creative and very good scorers. Diallo’s absence takes away some of their toughness, since he’s the best defender in this year’s EuroLeague, and Theis being out also matters. The 8 players who will play are very high quality, and we must not relax at all.”
Alec Peters also made comments on the game: “Last week was good for us. After those wins, I think everyone was happy, but we need to move forward and stay focused. Every day we train and reset over the weekends so we can approach this week as if it’s the first game of the series. We didn’t have luck on our side last time in Monaco. We have a specific goal, and that will drive us to play the way we did in the first two games.”
