Bartzokas: “Panathinaikos has nothing to lose, but we do – it’s difficult for Kanan to play”

For his participation Isaiah Canaan which is extremely doubtful and the pressure that o Olympic despite the winning streak, the “red and white” coach spoke George Bartzokasahead of the derby with Panathinaikos (31/03, 21:30).

Also, the coach of the Champions of Greece emphasized that the Mustafa Fal is better and will take part in pre-match training with the “greens” for her 32nd game EuroLeague.

Giorgos Bartzokas’ statements in detail:

On whether the first place in the EuroLeague is the goal: “I wouldn’t exactly say first place, but the best possible position. We don’t have the luxury, nor the scope to think about firsts. Our games and schedule are a blast. Tomorrow we play against Panathinaikos and above all we want to win this game to have the best possible prospects”.

For the defense of Panathinaikos: “We can’t deal with the other teams. We only see their tactics. We are preparing the team for how we will play. Whether it will be a defensive game no one knows. It comes through the feeling of the players. It will certainly be a difficult environment for Panathinaikos, easy for us because we are playing at our stadium, but this should not disorient us. We have a goal in front of us, we have made a great effort. March was the month with the most games. We played twelve, that’s a lot of games. In some we appear tired both mentally and physically, but right now we all need to give a boost to finish the regular season as best we can. Because that’s the way to be good in the playoffs».



For the streak of 12 victories that the red and whites are running against the greens: “Psychology, self-confidence and all that do not play a role. The momentum is there right now. Panathinaikos plays without pressure and has nothing to lose, only to win. We have to lose if we lose the game, so what counts is the approach with respect to the opponent, competitively being ready. They are a group that we value and respect. We don’t think we’ll get the game without trying».

For Fal and Kanan: “Fal is better and will participate in training. Kanaan returns tomorrow and it is extremely difficult to play without training».

Edited by: Christos Lois