Bartzokas and Hall on the win over Maccabi
Olympiacos bested Maccabi 77–75 in their final preseason game, and just minutes after the final buzzer, Giorgos Bartzokas and Donta Hall spoke about what they took away from the friendly games and what lies ahead.
Asked about what the team gained from the preseason games, Giorgos Bartzokas said: “They presented us with a very important picture. These were two games in which we did not play well. We did not perform at a high level for long stretches. I think we only had bursts of good basketball. I am not underestimating at all the fact that we beat two very serious, high-level teams such as Crvena Zvezda and Maccabi. The fact that we have a winning mentality and manage to win games in the end is very important. But clearly, and quite naturally, we are practically not ready to maintain a high tempo for a long period of time. Especially at the start and in the first quarter, we committed 10 turnovers, and then we allowed 50 points over the remaining three quarters. We did a good defensive job overall, particularly from the moment we started switching. A lot of players contributed. Joseph was very good, Hall was very good, and N’Diaye was fantastic in that regard. They gave us the opportunity to win the game, obviously through our defense. We did not give Maccabi easy baskets, so we have confidence from that because we won the game. However, if it were possible, I would have liked to have another 20 days of preparation. Today we had an issue with Milutinov, who was in pain and had to leave the game, while the big men got into foul trouble. Vezenkov is still experiencing pain in his elbow and is not ready to play at his best. Papanikolaou and Jones did not play either, and we need to come together as a team very quickly because the schedule is moving fast.”
Regarding the condition of the injured players, the Olympiacos head coach said: “We have two more practices for this, and we will also have one there. We travel on Wednesday. So, I hope Papanikolaou and Jones will be OK to play, but, you know, it goes day by day. I don't know about Milutinov. He felt pain in his adductor, I don't know exactly where it was, and he couldn't play anymore. We'll see. We'll review which players we have available and go from there.”
Donta Hall also got to comment on the game: “Honestly, I don't think any of us were happy tonight. We know it's still preseason and we're all trying to learn our teammates. You know, we have some new guys who are trying to learn the systems, but now we have to focus on defense. That's the important thing right now.”
Asked how much time the team will need to find its rhythm, the American center said: “We don't have that much time, to be honest. But it's a long season. We'll figure it out. The sooner we do, the better. I'm sure we'll figure it out.”