Bartzokas: “Grateful to the entire Olympiacos organization”
Giorgios Bartzokas made the following comment during the press conference after the end of Game 3 between Monaco and Olympiacos that sealed Olympiacos’ qualification for the Final Four in Athens.
In his opening statement, Giorgios Bartzokas said: “I am grateful to the entire Olympiacos organization for the way we worked throughout the season. This was the second part of the season; the first is the regular season and the third is the Final Four. We were consistent, we finished first in the regular season, we ‘swept’ a very good opponent like Monaco, and we are very positive about the one or two games coming up in the Final Four in Athens. I believe we deserve to be there. It’s not only about the basketball we played throughout the season, but also about the fact that whenever we had problems, the team presidents would bring in a player to help us. I also want to give credit to the fans; they supported us everywhere, even today and we dedicate this qualification to these amazing supporters.”
When asked about the many 3-pointers Olympiacos made in Game 3, the coach said: “The key for us in scoring many threes is how creative we are. Today we had around 30 assists; we had 18 in the first half. Passing the ball that much determines all our shooting stats. I think over the last three or four years we’ve been among the top teams in the competition in these numbers. Of course, we’re always first in assists and in creating spot-up shots. So that’s our key: to be unselfish and share the ball. That’s how we can score a lot of points, we had around 60 in the first half, and that’s how we play when we’re united. I think in the 3rd quarter we stopped playing that way, thinking the game was over, but a game isn’t over until it ends. We have great shooters like Dorsey, Fournier, Peters, and Vezenkov, but at the same time, even players who are mainly creators, like Thomas Walkup, can hit 4 shots in a row if you leave them open. It’s something we work on, and we try to give confidence to any player who is open to take the shot.”
On whether it is important for Olympiacos to win the quarterfinal series in three games, he said: “To be honest, you never know. There’s a philosophy that says a team that plays 5 games is more ready for the Final Four, or you can win in 3 games like we did and have a break before the Final Four, with time to rest. We also have the Greek league playoffs next Wednesday, so I believe we can find rhythm. But we definitely need 4 days of rest because the season has been difficult, like it has been for every team in the competition. After that, we’ll return to practice with the same mentality and the same way we’ve trained all season, with our full roster, which is very deep, and we’ll give everything to bring the trophy to Piraeus. You know it’s not easy; every team wants to reach the Final Four, and those who make it are big names in European basketball, but I believe we have our chances.”
Regarding Evan Fournier, who was the MVP of the game, Bartzokas commented: “Evan Fournier doesn’t need a game like this to prove his value. He is very competitive and always plays to win. But for me, the most important thing is that a personality like him, coming from so many successful NBA seasons, came to the team with the right mindset. He is incredibly easy to coach and one of the best teammates we have. He always supports his teammates, and that’s something you don’t easily find in players of his caliber; but Evan has all of that, and we are grateful for it.”