Black: “Mutual luck for me and Olympiacos to find each other – Huge opportunity in F4”

Lucky that… they met each other considers himself and him Olympic The Tarik Black. The American center describes his team’s participation in the Final 4 as a huge opportunity, he refers to the contribution of Giorgos Bartzokas to the creation of the team’s competitive culture, while he reveals what his opponent in Friday’s semi-final against Monaco, Donatas Motiegiounas, taught him many of his moves in the post when they were teammates on the Rockets.

The interview with APE-MPE in detail:

-An amazing season so far has brought you here, in the Final 4 of the Euroleague. Are you looking forward to your first experience of it?

“But of course! It’s a huge opportunity for us. We’ve worked so hard all season to get here. And now that we are where we want to be, our goal is to maximize our effort and seize the opportunity. This is the goal!’

-What were the ingredients of success to achieve the qualification?

“I attribute a large share of the success to the coach. The help he offered us, the “culture” he brought to the team, the coaching you did in the matches, and the pressure he exerted on us, as teammates, but also on the club itself. Then there is the team itself, the support that our teammates have given each other. No one tried to bring anyone down, we lifted each other up, believed in each other and pushed each other to give their best. All of this worked and is working. It is the combination that the coach believes in us and we believe in the coach. There is trust between the players, the coaches, the staff… there is a lot of trust. And when you combine all that with the given talent that this team has, then that’s the recipe for success.”

-And speaking more technically, what racing elements?

“What I said, I believe they also respond to our team’s playing style on the floor. We are first in assists this year in the Euroleague. This is about mutual trust. You pass the ball to your teammates when you trust them. And the same goes for the confidence the coach has in the passing player in the way he coaches. And when I mentioned “culture” before, I meant of course our relationship off and on the court and in our relationships. I would say that I was mostly referring to what takes place on the floor and that each of us is a choice. Defensively we are all working together, we are a unit, we trust the one who watches our… back, we also trust him when he makes the next pass or scores. This team has been “built” on them”.

-You have in front of you the excellent Mustafa Fal in “5”. But when the team needs you, like in the 5 games of the playoffs, you make a significant contribution coming off the bench. Are you happy with this role?

“Yes! Being a part of something so special… that’s the most important thing! How many minutes you stay on the floor, how often you get time, what you do when you’re out there, it all comes and goes. I noticed that throughout the season. As I said, the coach surrounds us with confidence and he has to because I think we have an incredible roster. I think we are very talented. So I’m not angry with the fact that some of my teammates spend more time on the floor, because they do what they do well and are even productive at a particularly high level. Everyone in this team can offer a lot and we leave the decision to the coach who to use each time depending on the game plan. I personally trust him. It’s about being ready, going out on the floor and doing what you have to do. As I said before… it’s all about the trust “system” we have.”

-Tell me the truth, what was your reaction when Kostas Slukas hit that incredible game-winning buzzer beater in Game 3 against Fenerbahce?

“Honestly… my heart stopped. Because I was in that phase, I screened high up top and he came the other way after Vezenkov’s screen and I cut inside the racket to be ready to get the rebound if needed. We knew he was going to get that last shot since it was the last second, but to be honest I thought it was going to be two points to tie it up, but for him to end the game and give us the win with that incredible 3-pointer… he did it. my heart to stop I was so happy… honestly so happy! My heart was pounding so hard before the last attack and I was saying to myself “let’s go guys, let’s go guys” and when it went in it was like a deep breath of fresh air… I can’t even explain it. It was a feeling like saying… ‘Oh my God, thank you'”.

-Would you put it at No. 1 on the list of “highlights” from what you have experienced at least in your European career?

“Sure, sure! Both in terms of execution and substance! In a playoff match, the conditions are created for such big shots, since either we would make it 2-1 or they would. It was a game with no tomorrow and who ends up winning changes the dynamics of the entire series. I honestly wonder, since we lost in Game 4, if Sluka’s breather three-pointer hadn’t gone in… would we be here today? In the final four of the Euroleague? So, without a doubt this was a huge shot not only for my own Euroleague career, but for the Euroleague all-time and even more so for Sluka’s career. No matter how we finish the season, this three-pointer will remain in history forever and of course in his own career.”

-You were a player for Maccabi Tel Aviv from 2018 to 2020, a team that was eliminated in Game 5 in Monaco, from the final four. Would you prefer Olympiacos to face the Israelis in the semi-final on May 19 in Kaunas?

“Not necessarily. Of course I have great memories from Maccabi. I love Maccabi. I have them deep in my heart. It is the first team I played with in the Euroleague. They opened doors for me and I will forever be grateful to the club. In this case, however, the truth is that I watched their 5th game against Monaco with my wife and enjoyed the basketball they played. I was enjoying how big a game both teams played with constant changes in the score and I only had in my mind that whichever of the two qualified for Kaunas, I would have to prepare for it. I followed this thought process regardless of whether I prefer, on competitive or emotional criteria, one or the other. I think that psychologically I should have done the same.”

-Finally, from this series, it was Mike James’ team that made it. Monaco are a team that Olympiacos have beaten twice this year, while you weren’t here last year when they faced them in the playoffs. It has many athletic players and maybe for that reason, you have an important role in the semi-final. How will Olympiacos stop Monaco?

“Monaco is obviously a high level team, with super talent. They play well together, have learned each other and have chemistry. I think we have similar “cultures” in terms of the style of basketball we play. We pass the ball a lot, they pass the ball a lot. We shoot a lot like them. They have a lot of moves in attack and mainly engage in one-on-ones. They have excellent scorers in the perimeter, but also in the post, such as Donatas Motiegiounas. He’s incredible in the post and at hitting one-on-ones. So I’ll say it’s one game, one night and I hope we win.”

-Can you stop Motiegiounas? Can Motiejunas stop you?

“The remarkable thing about me and Motiejunas is that we were teammates in Houston my rookie season with the Rockets. We are good friends and the truth is that a lot of my post up skills come from him. He taught them to me! So I understand the game of “DiMo”, as I call him. He is obviously very strong offensively. He also plays well defensively, but if you are strong in attack he is very hard to stop. However, I have a good knowledge of the way he plays, what he looks for when he is on the floor, when he posts, what moves he chooses to make. So I won’t say “yes I will stop him”, but I will say that I know his game, how he thinks and how he acts. “DiMo” taught me a lot of what I know today.

– Then, you will help Barzokas in scouting regarding Motiegiounas. No;

“If he asks me, I’m definitely here for him (laughs). But Bartzokas and his colleagues in the technical team are doing an excellent job. Do you know how many games these people watch? To date, they will have apparently seen more than 100 Monaco games, perhaps all the games Monaco have played this season. Our technical team will therefore have a comprehensive view of what “DiMo” is looking for on the floor, what the coach of “DiMo” is looking for from him. So, if you ask them, they will have a lot to tell you about how to stop him because our technical team is excellent in the scouting reports.”

– George Bartzokas in his earlier statement about you emphasized that Olympiacos was lucky in your case because you had the motivation to come back and prove who you are and you proved to be “value for money”. Do you agree?

“I would agree with him just because he said it. What kind of player and what kind of person would I be if I disagreed with the manager who got us this far in the season. I truly believe the luck was mutual. Both for Olympiakos and for me. We’ve already accomplished something very special before we even get to the Final 4, something that each of us here will remember for our entire careers, if not our entire lives.”

– In the second time semi-final in Kaunas, Barcelona and Real Madrid compete in a European “clasico” to qualify for the final. Which of the two do you think has the best chance?

“I can not say. I honestly don’t know. I think they are equal, they are used to facing each other in Spain and in Europe. Barcelona have gone the longest without games in the Euroleague, after qualifying with a “sweep” against Zalgiris. Real Madrid fought “battle” with Partizan, which was decided in the 5th game. I honestly don’t know. However, the most important thing is that we qualify for the final. And if that happens… then it doesn’t matter who we find in front of us. Basketball in a Final Four is different. You may have won twice in the regular season and lost a match in the final four to the same team. Look at us and Fenerbahce who took them comfortably in the regular season but blew our 5 game straight in the playoffs. All four teams will present themselves very differently in Kaunas than what you have seen so far. It’s been a long time since we faced Barcelona and Real. Barcelona is one of the “hottest” teams in this Final 4. Both have very good coaches. We’ll see… “.