Bartzokas: “Fortunately… I woke up at half-time, we will do everything for the trophy”

He characterized it as the result of hard work throughout the season the presence of Olympiakos in the final of the Euroleague, Giorgos Bartzokas, speaking at the press conference. “I feel proud that we are here, no team is a failure from the moment they are in the final, but we will do everything for the Olympiakos organization and our world to get the trophy”, emphasized the Greek coach.

“We have respect for Real that got here with so many absences,” added the “red and white” coach, who, speaking of the semi-final with Monaco, jokingly pointed out: “Someone at halftime shouted at me from the stand to… wake up. Luckily… I woke up.”

In detail, Giorgos Bartzokas spoke at the press conference about:

-tomorrow’s final with Olympiakos:



“I am very happy that we are in the final. I feel proud to be part of the celebration and compete with the best. It was very difficult all season. Every year the EuroLeague becomes more and more difficult and you have to survive very difficult situations. Now there is no failure for any team. From the moment we arrived here, however, there is one step left. We have to stay united and fight as a team and do everything for the world and our club. We know that Real Madrid is a huge organization and we respect them immensely.”

-how big an opponent Real is:



“Real are without three important players and have qualified for the final. That says it all. He has great potential, knowledge and talent. We have no doubt that nothing will be easy. We have been through difficulties all year. We must control our emotions. I heard someone yesterday from the stands telling me to… wake up. He obviously thought I was asleep. Luckily I woke up at half time. That’s basketball.”

– the fact that, as in 2013, in the final in London, he faces Real:



“I can’t say it’s a game of fate. Basketball has changed since then. Our only players then were Slukas and Papanikolaou. We are talking about two very big European basketball clubs. It will be a battle in a sports context. I have a lot of respect for Real Madrid and Tsoi Mateo. We also have faith in the team and our effort.”

– how he prepares the team competitively:



“We have a meeting after lunch with my partners to decide how to prepare the team. We have training in the afternoon. Of course we have made a preparation on how Real defends and attacks. Tavares affects their game a lot. They have tall forwards and guards who distribute the ball extremely well. We don’t have much time, we have to mainly rely on what we do well”

-whether the way Olympiacos plays this year will change the model of European basketball:



“It is honorable that it is said about us, but there is a dose of exaggeration. Mainly from our country. Always in failure everything is negative and in success positive. Some have commented that we are Pele’s Brazil or Cruyff’s Netherlands. Basketball has nothing to do with football. In basketball, the speed of decision and execution requires luck, and the right persons to make what you imagine. I complete three and a half years in my second term in the team. Little by little we added pieces that helped us add pieces. We got Sluka, we had very good Greeks and we got unselfish players like Fal and Walkap. Everyone has accepted their role and that is very important. There are teams in football that were amazing and got nothing. Thanks for the kind words, but it’s a bit of an exaggeration.”

-the continuity that Olympiacos had after the title it won in 2013:



“In the semi-final we played excellently in defense and in the final offensively. We put up 90 points in three quarters. But if you live with the past, you don’t move forward into the future. At the time I didn’t understand what we had done and when we came back I realized how many thousands of people were waiting for us on the streets in Greece. But basketball has changed and so have I. I want to enjoy the moments and now the final with Real Madrid. I am proud that Olympiacos had continuity. I am proud that 12,000 people came last year to Belgrade and another 5,000 this year to Kaunas. To fight with us and show our fighting spirit.”

-how Olympiacos managed to qualify for two Final Fours, after the departure of Spanoulis and Printezis:



“His management model is successful. No big budgets to compete with. So there is expertise throughout the framing of the team. Everyone who works knows their job well. For veterans, basketball has become increasingly difficult. In 1997 Olympiacos took the trophy in Rome playing 15 games. The team must prepare with moves to replace the huge players it had. And be prepared. The whole club handled the situation correctly and that’s why we succeeded.”