Olympiacos welcome Willerbon for the 31st matchday of the EuroLeague and Giorgos Bartzokas spoke ahead of the game with the French at the Stadium of Peace and Friendship (21/3, 21:15, match center from Novasports 4, SPORT24).
Peace and friendliness awaits Olympiacos Villeurbanne at the stadium in the background of the 31st matchday of the EuroLeague and Giorgos Bartzokas spoke to the French players ahead of tomorrow's game (21/3, 21:15, Novasports 4, Competition Center from SPORT24).
In detail what the Greek technician said:
For the match against Efes: “I'm looking at it now in practice, but I think we'll go like we did yesterday. They shot a better percentage of two-pointers and three-pointers than us. You could tell we didn't start with the right attitude.
Of course, Efes is a team that, if they hit the perimeter, they will put up both open shots and hard marked shots, if they open the scoring and gain confidence, they have the tools to handle the situation well.
The way we entered the game was wrong. At 50-50 stages they were tougher than us. They were very hungry. One explanation is that we have been winning for two consecutive months in all competitions and have not lost. Every game is very important and we have to get it back immediately tomorrow.”
For the Villeurbanne game: “Anyone who expected an easy match was wrong, beating Efes, winning by 20 points, scoring ten points in the fourth period yesterday and losing at the end to Partizan, that's a very good team.
There is no indifferent competition in the Euroleague. They are a team with athleticism, they can open the scoring, they have experience in regionals, they have been playing well recently and we expect a tough game. In no way is it practical.”
For the betterment of Olympiakos: “The success of the team means that Olympiakos says it will enter the playoffs again. The issue should be in the big dates of Greek and European basketball and we have been there for the last three years. And in the final four.
With the difficulties we've had this year, I think it's going to be very important to get to the playoffs. From there, I always look at my team and if we're healthy, we're mentally prepared, and whether we have the home advantage or not, we're going to be a tough opponent for everybody.
For the defeat of Ephesus: “You're always proud when you win, it's human nature. Losing, especially for coaches, gives the team a chance to start again. To go back to the basics and the most important things that make you a winner. But that happens in all European groups.
You see, there is no European team that is undefeated. Real struggled a lot against Alba yesterday. There is no such thing as an easy game. Zalkris easily defeated Virtus. That means every game is a battle, every game has its difficulty. We've seen the roster and quality of Efes, a team that can't make the play-ins, and we all understand how competitive this league is.”
