Giannoulis Larentzakis emphasized that Olympiacos has improved and plays an amazing defense in the matches in the Euroleague, he praised Kanaan and Luntzis, he spoke about the game of Zalgiris with the tall ones that favored them, he referred to the value of the “red and white” roster, to the management of Giorgos Bartzoka and waits for the return of the absent.
Analytically:
On the aggressive face of Olympiakos and its improvement: “Every day and as time goes by we will get better. We had a week of training for this match. We found a rhythm. When we play defense like that, it feels good. Isaiah Kanaan was incredibly on point and ‘pulled’ us all up. That’s why we ‘opened’ the score”.
On the pressing defense that scores in transition: “When a team finds easy points, it always takes psychology. It gives you confidence when you play good defense. We did a good job in the second quarter, Lountzis also did a good job. In the second half, we were on the same level.”
On what changed in the second half and the three-point percentages: “We entered the third quarter with our defensive plan and found a rhythm. Zalgiris played with a special defense when the ball went to the high ones and we found the shots”.
For those who didn’t believe him at first and the similar condition of doubt with Kanaan: “He understood what was going on, every player listens to what’s going on. Foreign children need a certain adjustment time. Kanaan is a good player, we know that. Terrible scorer.
We tend in Greece to compare players, but every player is different. No one at this level is irrelevant. We make them in one night irrelevant or playful. Kanaan has psychology, he helps us a lot. We supported him and continue to support him. This is the definition of the team.”
On Giorgos Bartzokas’ trust in his players: “The coach shows us his trust every day. It tells us, it seems, it gives us an extra motivation. We know that the whole organization will support us. This is very important for a player. The year is long, there will always be good and bad times.”
On handling bad moments: “I don’t remember there being any terrible, big crisis in the dressing room. We manage everything with training, work and trust in the plan.”
On the returns of the injured: “It is very important. We train together, we improve together. We know that at any moment the player is there to help us. It is very important that there is ‘depth’.’
On his own contribution and scoring: “I think I always want to play and help with whatever that entails. Sure, it’s nice to score. But it’s not my job to put 20p. in every match. I have to help as much as I can for the team to win. It’s also a matter of psychology, rhythm and a bit of fatigue.
We might have a not-so-good month and then go up. I never cared what percentage I shot, I always played to win. It might be a shot, a tip that won’t show up in the stats. I have learned from a young age to play for victory either in singles or in matches. Whether I’m shooting at 1% or 100%, I’ll keep shooting.”
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
