Bartzokas: “We are privileged, let’s avoid mistakes”

The key points ahead of his big duel Olympiakou with Barcelona for the Euroleague playoffs, said o George Bartzokas.

The experienced technician he stood on the mistakes of the Piraeus in the first two matches, which they must avoid, while pointing out that they must control their emotions.

At the same time, he referred to home advantage and how important the support of the people is, while he spoke about the readiness of Papanikolaou and Petrusef.

“Players are people, not machines, and a lot depends on the human factor. But there will certainly be the same intensity, the so-called physicality“, he said at first, while then he talked about the absence log of the Piraeus team, which will be white.

“Petrusev is fine, Papanikolaou trained with the team yesterday. He seems to be a bit underpowered. Obviously he won’t have to play 30 minutes, but he will be present and I think he will help us».

He also mentioned what the “red and white” should avoid in relation to the first two matches against the Catalans. “The mistakes are related to the offensive execution, we saw what we need to improve. Rebounds are a matter of readiness, mood, will and we have to be in good shape physically and mentally to get these balls. In the first match, we controlled it and could have won more easily, in the second match, while we naturally wanted to win, we did not have the same intensity, perhaps feeling that we have done our duty. The presence of people is very important for us and it happens all year round».

On the fact that Piraeus have a home advantage after the break in Barcelona: “I don’t know what headquarters means. For me it’s about playing in your environment. It goes without saying that it is important and we are privileged to have it, as Barcelona originally had it. Why do teams fight for 34 games? We don’t see the series now, we only see tomorrow’s game and we want to control the game, our emotions and stick to the plan».

On whether a large roster is required in these series: “A bigger roster is always good because you have more energy. But the mind is always stronger and leads the body as well. These matches are not simple, they are the reward for what we did during the year. Other big teams left the tournament, these matches are important for the careers of all of us. We feel privileged to participate».