Bartzokas: “I’m a father, it’s shocking that people burn on the train like wood in a fireplace”

With the “weapon” of its excellent defense, Olympiacos… strangled (77-70) it Barcelona in SEF and reaching 2/2 against her, she took another step for the home advantage in the playoffs, with George Bartzokas to talk about her too tragedy of Tempe.

Details of what the coach of Piraeus said at the press conference after the great victory over Barcelona in SEF:



For the win against Barcelona: “Congratulations to the team, the players and the crowd. It was another amazing night at SEF, apart from the final result which of course makes us happy. After the difficult defeat in Milan we knew that we had to face a difficult opponent. We controlled our emotions and went possession-possession. We didn’t start well, we were nervous, we missed shots, we were in a hurry. In the 2nd period we increased the intensity in our defense and found ourselves +2 at half time. Then we had to protect our racket, because Barcelona have quality there with tall forwards and centers. Ultimately, overall, our defense was very solid. Good luck in Barcelona, ​​thank you.”

About the accident in Tempe: “I wanted to express in turn the pain of all of us in the team for what happened in Tempe. It was very difficult to play in both Milan and Rhodes. I didn’t want to say it and make it sound like an excuse. There is no Greek who was not touched by what happened. At the same time, I am also a father. People burning on the train, like wood burning in a fireplace, is something that shocks and shocks us all. Many believe that in sports and team sports the citizens involved are “2nd class”. There are people like that, but people reacted healthily, expressed their opinion without using violence. I can’t say condolences. Of course I can’t dedicate anything either. These are funny, like a win or a loss in sports. On behalf of all of us, I want to express our sadness and grief for what happened to us as a country.”

For the reactions of the foreign players after the tragic incident with the train collision: “It is true that they were also shocked. In Milan they had the Greek flag during a minute’s silence. I saw people’s sadness. All over Europe they supported our country, I also saw banners in Istanbul. What needs to be done is to prevent this from happening again. Wishes and all that is secondary. In no country should it ever happen again, anywhere. I want to say that this reaction of the world for what happened to us is something very healthy.”

For the start of Olympiakos against “Barca”: “We missed rebounds, we weren’t tough, we didn’t use the fouls properly. We were hesitant and stressed. But, we put energy players. Players who came off the bench and gave a lot. Someone told me that the bench players scored more than the starters. They were ready to play the match, unlike what happened in Milan. This was very important. Whoever enters – exits must be at the same level of intensity, even if it doesn’t play well. We increased our intensity and closed the half at +2″.

For the reaction of Piraeus in the defensive part after the matches in which his team conceded almost 80p. per match: “To defend well against such a quality team was very important. Every match is different. We have won games both through our defense and by opening the scoring on any pitch. Allow me the Colossus game not to put it to the same fate. Those who understand a little about basketball, understand that the motivation of our players plus the fatigue plus the motivation of the opponent make the match cannot be evaluated the same as a Euroleague match. As important as the advantage is in Greece, which for us is very important. We slept at 7 am on Saturday and played at noon on Sunday. You see Barcelona lost to Zaragoza. If you look at the other championships… It’s March, the energy and motivation in Greece is starting to drop a bit, especially after the Final Eight. We were a month away from our base, we had so many away matches. These matches do not have the same degree of difficulty. The approach of the players and naturally many times is more subdued. It also happened with Peristeri, which we won on a point. In the Cup final, the motivation was different and we were different. This also happened in Rhodes and we showed something else today. The players have the Euroleague on their minds and they have the impression that they will win by walking, they are not in the same mood. You don’t beat anyone by walking.”

On the death of Panagiotis Garaganis: “Our condolences to his family. An Olympiacos has left and it makes us all very sad.”



For marking and limiting Nicolas Laprovitola on replay: “It is part of the tactics we have chosen. Personality overflows with Laprovitola, Mirotic, Higgins. Laprovitola made two consecutive shots. He has a problem on the drive, we closed the lanes for him, we had a good defense with changes. Barcelona have players with skill, they know how to pass, they punish things. But scoring 70p. it shows that we made a good effort in defense”.

For making Shaquille McKissic (4 ass.): “I think his athletic ability is supernatural. His speed, his burst. I always believed in him. You had analyzed that he is not a good passer. I rate him as an excellent passer. He’s selfless, he does what he needs to do for the team and he’s very good defensively as well.”

On how satisfied he is with the fact that Olympiacos can win both through defense and through attack: “I don’t think we are a soft team, but the opposite. We can claim matches even with a low score, in an intense, contact game. We will be ready in this program.”

For the continuation: “We moved to the “8” with 19 wins. It was my goal when I came here to be in the playoffs. See which teams are fighting to make the playoffs, with what teams and what budgets. I do not underestimate that we have passed to “8”.

On Tarik Black and whether it’s one of the smartest choices he’s made in his career: “We were a bit lucky with Tariq. In a period of time that we were looking for there was this player with the motivation to go back to the Euroleague and prove who he is. It has a high level. Many times you are looking for players and there are none or you are unlucky, someone makes a bigger offer. With Black we were lucky, it was not smart on my part to sign him and even with money that was very affordable for us.”