Bartzokas: “We don’t take anything for granted, we still have 5 games”

The attention Olympiakos players must show in the next games, in order to get the home advantage, stressed Giorgos Bartzokas, after the victory over Zalgiris.

The coach of the “red and white” referred to the difficulty faced by his team and the basket of Sasha Vezenkov that decided the match, while he also spoke about the appearance of Mustafa Fal.

In detail, what he said at the press conference:

“It was a real battle as we expected. Zalgiris did not give up the game even at -13. We made some serious mistakes and they scored crucial three-pointers. In the last attack we passed correctly to Vezenkov and played defense in the final. It was a decision victory. It’s always hard to win here. It’s a difficult environment for the opposition, so we appreciate this win. Congratulations to the team, good luck in Zalgiris”.

For the last phase, let Vezenkov ask for the ball: “These phases are 50-50. We set up a pick and roll and there was a miss match in the post. The opponent may decide other things, but we gave advantage to the miss match. It was a difficult shot and marked.”

About what he expects from Vezenkov: “We want him to have the same attitude and mentality that he has until now. When moving away from the ball he knows how to pass and how to move. He knows how to move away from the ball, but the team also knows where he is and passes to him at the right time. Even in this fantastic performance it was mostly a team performance.”

For Fal: “If one follows Fal his skill is the pass. It can pass from many angles. He has excellent timing and understanding of the game. McKissick had layups off his passes, as did Vezenkov. We missed 1-2 layups that could have been 2 more of his passes. We are happy to have him on our team.”

On whether he wants to return to Zalgirio Arena for the Final 4: “I’d like to be back here for the Final 4. We’re not taking anything for granted. We still have 5 games left. We want to be healthy. It is difficult for players to be focused in every game. I’m not complaining about anything. We are first in the ranking. We are playing excellently and we want to stay in this condition.”

For the playoffs: “We believe that whichever team gets a place in the top eight will not be weak. Even teams that might not be in the top eight. For every team it’s a battle and I don’t think you can choose a team to play. Let’s go game by game. Our second goal is home advantage after qualifying for the playoffs.”