Bartzokas: “In the final everything went against us – You have to shoot better to beat Real”

The details of the match between Olympiakos and Real Madrid, which resulted in the sixth defeat of the “red and whites” in this year’s Euroleague, were analyzed at the press conference after the end of the match at SEF by George Bartzokas.

The coach of Piraeus emphasized that if you want to beat the “queen” you will have to shoot much better than his team did, he made it clear that he has a lot of faith in his players, while he also explained why Petrusev did not compete.

In detail what the coach of Olympiakos said:



“Congratulations to Real Madrid for the win and how they have been playing all this time. From our side, we expected the match to be close and the details to decide it. Unfortunately in the end everything was against us, we missed five shots, 1-2 layups that we should have made and at the same time our three-point percentage was low, with less than 30% you can’t beat Real, which creates, I don’t want to say fear, but a special situation with her tall in the racket.

We have a game on Friday, I think we are playing well and we need to improve some details. The details are very important, we lost in the last two possessions from Monaco and today again the same. Let’s stay positive and united and look to the next game.”.

For Musa: “Shooting definitely played a role, he was 5/7 from three, 4/4 in the 3rd quarter and some were tough shots. A three-pointer by Campacho after a reset was crucial, the three-pointer by Hezonia. And we on the other side missed shots, layups, Fal important and many free shots. You need to do your best to beat Real Madrid”.

For using Kanaan and Peters: “Right now the roster is growing. Note that there will be three new ones coming in plus the ones that returned. I have to look at the big picture, Papanikolaou did a good job as a link in defense and attack and I decided to put him in “4” and it worked. Factor in foul wear, Peters played 25 minutes. I explained that we cannot play 35 minutes due to absences, I have confidence in everyone. It’s easy after the game to say you didn’t score that one, but if we had scored 5 shots we would have won the match. Anyone who says I was regularly wrong is respected but everyone judges after a holiday while I make the decisions during it.”.

For the three-pointer: “We had a very low percentage. You have to shoot close to 40% to win, I said that before the match. In general we controlled it, defensively we made mistakes, we were generally good, we lowered the attacking level of Real who can score 100 points. Real attack well in the first kick but as the seconds go by they fall behind, we found solutions there. At some point the instinct of the players and the desire to stand out leads them to make mistakes. Even difficult shots that destroyed our psychology from 8-9 meters marked. All of that shows in how you execute up front.”.

For the details that decided the winner: “I think it’s both, I would say some defensive rebounds were crucial. Today it was the shots or a layup. As long as you don’t get ahead, momentum is important, the pressure is on the opponent. But that happens with all teams, everyone wins and loses. Anyone who doesn’t recognize that the EuroLeague is extremely difficult. See today’s results. It matters how you enter the match, everyone can lose everywhere. Real lost at Fener with a mistake from the best player. We have to have confidence, the crowd sold out and I have to say a big thank you. I am sure that we will be among the contenders for the top eight with the roster we have and the reinforcement”.

For his roster: “At the beginning we played with half a team, we made a good report based on the absences that I had highlighted for the poor preparation. We are in an octave momentum which I think is important. All teams, even Real will have ups and downs. There are many months and matches, the local league, injuries. I want us to be healthy, to work, to add new players. Someone wonders why Petrusev didn’t play and I have to explain that someone who hasn’t played in two months can’t play in a EuroLeague match, I have to be the voice of reason.”

On how much play-in changes the approach: “7-8 has an edge, so that’s a goal as well. I think what makes qualification more difficult is improvement, investment in good coaches and players, full stadiums, you don’t win anywhere easily. And last year the 5th team from the 12th had one win difference. We’ll focus on that towards the end, now we’re looking at the Bayern match.”.

For Tavares: “There are things that are seen and others that are not. We made so many 3-pointers because Tavares and Poirier are there and we set up a different way. Often you have a drive and you don’t think about it. And last year when we won in Madrid he was not so decisive. In the Final-Four he was very good. We have to look at the overall picture, we have a very good front line that we strengthened. Based on the financial data and what the market gives, we did the best we could. If we could give 3 million right and left we would probably have a better roster.

Right now we have this, I don’t get into comparisons. The team has been first and second for two years, this has raised expectations, the EuroLeague is becoming more difficult, we started with all the injuries. During the year we got three players, I am happy as I see them in training. If we want to say again that we will be first or second, there is no magic. It is a marathon, we have won every title in recent years and this year the only title. The people show confidence and that is what Olympiacos needs, the defeat hurts the coach more than anything. I think we have a good method, when we form I don’t know where we will end up but we will give everything we have to make the team achieve the best it can”.