Bartzokas: “We will present ourselves properly in the final stretch, ready to play big games”

After a strong “eternal” derby, Olympiacos prevailed 81-73 over Panathinaikos for the 32nd game of the Euroleague, with its coach, George Bartzokasto state in the post-match press conference that his team took the win without reaching high performance standards, adding that his players will perform as they should in the “final stretch” of the season!

In detail what the coach of Olympiakos said:



“Congratulations to our players, another win. It’s a club record 23 wins and it’s something we really appreciate. It shows the stability in the season. Today we won with 17% on three-pointers and missing 10 shots on our court. That’s why we have to congratulate the players. We had 23 assists, missed a lot of free throws. We were nervous in the first half and it showed. In the third quarter we needed 2-3 minutes of basketball that we can play to set the tone”.

For Tariq Black’s appearance: “There is no third in my eyes and no one in the team. We are all equal. Everyone has potential, everyone has character and mentality. We utilized Tariq very well near the basket. He also put in shots. Fal was good too. We won the game without hitting high standards of performance as we have been doing lately. Panathinaikos did not have the “should” and made difficult shots. The team using the depth of the roster gets things”.

For Kanan not playing: “It wasn’t just a matter of balance, it’s about the fact that he came today. It is a very important event in everyone’s life. At this moment he was devastated. We have played important games without our key players. All are missing. I couldn’t put Kanan through such trouble. I don’t think it was an innovation of mine. Every coach would do the same”.

On whether his players’ minds are on the playoffs: “I can say more concrete things when the regular season is over. The fact that we want a win in our next two games to finish first is very important. The players have been playing very consistently since October until now. When a team wins without shooting very well, it shows that we have other ways to win. Going into the playoffs everyone is aware of the importance. We’ll be ready to make big plays.”.

On the three-point percentages in the last games and if it worries him: “We are a team with quite good shooters and a good creation. We also have good players near the basket for balance. We capitalized on that part. They weren’t helping the shooters and our tall guys shot so much and we got so many shots. I can’t focus on our staff how they need to shoot better. Players have a routine. We are a bit stressed now. In the final stretch we will be as we should be”.