Bartzokas: “Real won fairly – the year in the Euroleague is not a failure”

The poor start of Olympiakos and the superiority of Real was attributed to George Bartzokas her losing in the semi-final of the Final 4.

“On our European trip this year we had to face many difficulties. We were unlucky to face a Real in amazing condition. A team that has talent, experience and guidance from the bench. We didn’t start as we should have, we were reacting and not acting. We allowed Hezonia to make three free throws early on and they went 9/13 in the first half. We had just three defensive rebounds in the half. I won’t say we were scared, but we didn’t have the right approach in the first half. In the second half we got back to our basics, but some big baskets by Moussa and some bad choices prevented us from threatening. Real won fairly. Thank you people, we are grateful for their fantastic support and it shows what kind of club we are. All our effort all season has been fantastic and I take my hat off to my players“, he emphasized.

He said about the only one shot of Olympiakos’ three highs:It is strange. I won’t say they didn’t get passes, nor that they didn’t try. But playing against Tavares and Poirier we should have been more mentally prepared. We were a bit hesitant and this is not the right approach. I think we have one of the best front lines, but today for some reasons for which I am more responsible, they didn’t help us as much as we would have liked».

“All year we’ve had three different defenses against the pick and roll, depending on the characteristics of our talls. Real have very good players in the pick and roll. We changed our defense in the second quarter, but we missed rebounds. In the second half we worked well, that’s why we got back into the match, but at -10 we made two mistakes and Yule with a foul that was not, but ok, the crucial shots of Moussa and Yabusele shaped the result. Some details matter“, he added.

Regarding whether the season in Europe is considered successful, he emphasized:This team in the last three years has been successful. We’ve won all the domestic titles, I think seven in a row and we’ve had three Final 4s. We’ve built a team with character and personality. Last year we had a great opportunity, because Real did not have Campacho. We had no injuries, we had Vezenkov, Sluka, but we missed the chance we had from a great Yule shot and luck. For a team that has the smallest budget out of 8-10 teams in the Euroleague, I can’t say we failed. We came to play for our team, for the jersey, for our world. And when the disappointment is over we will know that we succeeded this year, we reached the Final 4 with an impressive second round and with a home disadvantage against Barcelona».

As for the next day? “Our previous two entries were decided on the last shot. This year Real were better overall for 40 minutes. I don’t want to make excuses, that we are playing with a team with a 40 million budget while we have 10. I know that money doesn’t play basketball, but we are facing a team with a tough mentality, that knows how to do the right things. We have grown in the last two years. It’s not easy going to three Final 4s. The Final 4 is an opportunity you’re glad to be in, but three teams leave disappointed and only one happy. Now we go back sad, not ashamed, but thinking what we should have done. That’s the way sports are, there are more bad times than good. In the last three years we have had many happy moments. Before the Final 4 I said that even if we win the title we should come back without arrogance and now that we are eliminated we should come back without being sad or ashamed. We should continue to work as we are doing».