Bartzokas: “There was a confrontation with Slukas and Ataman intervened”

Giorgos Bartzokas was asked to comment on them spikes by Sani Becirovic for the behavior of Olympiacos players towards Ergin Ataman.

“I don’t want to comment on anything. So we didn’t all say, not to dynamit the climate. The team and I move in the same spirit. Whether it is done on the other side for its own reasons, I don’t know. There was a confrontation of Sluka and Mr. Ataman intervened. He entered the field once more. It’s his own way of dealing with things, which we respect“, he emphasized.

Christos Bafes intervened and said “… Mr. Ataman attacked Canaan».

Regarding the match he said:Congratulations to both teams. It was a terrific quality game for its intensity and criticality. Panathinaikos played very well, had 50% three-pointers at halftime, but we were only one point behind. We were nervous, but in the second half we played well, defensively and offensively, creating a difference. In modern basketball there is not a difference that cannot be overturned. Panathinaikos pressed by fouling, but we hit the shots and that’s how we made it 2-0 which is very important, but the streak continues. With the same modesty, humility and confidence in the way we play, we will continue and go into the third game».

On Canaan’s attribution against transliteration: “Don’t lead me into such things. I count all the players who are here and their contracts are valid, even those who are not playing and support the team in training. We took a big hit with the absence of Fal, Wright was cut and we weakened in rebounds. Nevertheless, the whole team responds, no matter how much contract we still have, respecting our work and the organization. The game is decided on three wins and because we have seen a lot in basketball, we will approach the third game the same way».

Asked about the importance of the third game in order not to give Panathinaikos hope, he answered: “There is no comparison with 2013. At that time, Olympiacos had shaken the waters of European basketball and won two consecutive Euroleagues with a budget of 6.5 million euros. Our players were very underpaid, but by winning two Euroleagues in a row they found huge offers. Panathinaikos now has a big budget. We then, our players accepted proposals that blew their minds. If it was ‘a’, it became ‘5a’. Also in 2013, the game never ended. Let’s not compare seasons or anything. Even the regulations are different. We have a difficult match at a venue that we have won, however. Panathinaikos is hurt, but if we play as we can I think we have a good chance to win».

About the presence of Walkup and Kanaan in the second half of the first two matches he said:It’s something that comes from the evolution of games. Kanaan is affected by whether he hits some shots, after the first one he hit today he also hit some difficult and crucial shots. When he feels good, he shoots very well, shooting over 50%. We rely on a team game that highlights different protagonists each time».

Finally, he said that “… every coach wants to create in his players a feeling that one relies on the other. When you make an open pass and get two easy points, that’s the good thing about homogeneity in a team. We have these players, we love them».