Statements after the episodic fourth final of this year’s Basket League against Olympiakos, the coach of the “red and white” made George Bartzokas!
With his team having also won the championship, the experienced coach expressed his great satisfaction with this year’s image presented by his team, spoke about the climate at OAKA, while also taking stock of this year and focusing on the offer of Walkup and Fal.
The statements of the coach of Olympiakos:
“We would like to finish the game, I think we put in an emphatic performance and there is no doubt that our year ends with the third title out of the four we have claimed. In the Greek league there is no one who can dispute that we were the best team, so I feel extremely happy for the effort of all my partners, the organization, the players, the owners. It is a year that will remain etched in our minds. He can’t say that as a team we didn’t give everything in every game”.
On what he keeps from the team: “The cohesion between people. They are different characters, nationalities, cultures, ages. Fortunately for us, the team was solid in the locker room and everyone around the team I think are people who have a common goal and we are together in the easy and the difficult. During the year we faced health problems with our gymnasts Andreas and Christos. Because luckily they ended up positive, they bonded all of us more”.
On what you would add to Olympiakos: “It’s an oxymoron because I can’t say anything about a team that broke all the records. When we are in a group we are all looking for someone who is elsewhere. But is it certain that anyone else who comes will achieve what we did here? So I stick to this, that this year the team did their best.”.
About the climate at OAKA: “For that you have to ask those who implement it and it didn’t even do them any good. Since the beginning of the year I have seen banners cursing my mother who is in her last years and it didn’t bother anyone. Our whole body smells of beers, cokes. Should we not talk? If you have to, ok. I represent the interests of Olympiakos. If there is a mechanism that targets me in various ways, it’s not my problem”.
For the evaluation of the year: “Right now it’s best to make an assessment over time. We won matches on point, we lost corresponding matches on point. If we managed to win the EuroLeague along with the titles we won this year, but also in general, in the last two years, we conquered everything that existed in Greek territory, I would say that it is a team as we dreamed of building it, and that paid off on the field. After years, the analysis is done, but the numbers are deafening in what we have achieved”.
On Bartzoka’s basketball style: “The style of basketball we played this year suits me perfectly. To be good on both sides of the field. We worked as a team and on an individual level. We are solid in the dressing room, first team in assists which means we didn’t have a selfish approach and apart from the good Greek players we have who are the stars of the team, the story changed with Fal and Walkup. They were two players who came here and are playing until June. I know very well that the foreign players when the EuroLeague ends are empty, they played 100% for the team. Secondly because they are altruistic and don’t play for their stats”.
For this year: “There is not a moment, we went through fire and iron, we beat teams with great quality by 40 points. We won matches on points, we lost the EuroLeague like we did, we had a third quarter against Monaco that showed what this team is all about this year. It’s not just the 40 EuroLeague games, we played 77 or 78 and our internationals another 10-14. Papanikolaou has played around 90, that means mental and mental strain and the rewards are the titles”.
Source: Sport Fm
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