Bozikas: “Olympiacos has the talent to win every title – Fal-Milutinov will be ready in 2-3 weeks”

Able to conquer the remaining three, bigger titles that he will claim this year is o Olympicas his assistant stated Giorgos Bartzokas on the “red and white” bench, George Bozikasspeaking on EOK WebRadio. He said in detail:

On their feelings after winning the Super Cup: “We are used to leaving our emotions out of the results. It’s a situation where we face each match individually and whether we win or lose we keep moving forward.”

On whether they are satisfied with the image of the team: “After winning we are obviously satisfied, because the result is the most important. We showed a bit of our talent in some parts of the games. We are definitely not ready and we need time, but we had a lot of positives, which we liked. How we started the game against Panathinaikos showed our confidence and what we can do when we find a rhythm in attack. However, and our defensive function, especially in the 4th quarter, when the match had to be decided, we made very strong defenses and that’s what gave us the victory.”

For Olympiakos’ reaction to -5: “Generally we are a compact and difficult team. The talent we have and that many players can score and make decisions in the match is very important for us. It was a very good reaction we had. When you control a match for the longest time and suddenly find yourself behind in the score, you have to react and we had a very good reaction, which showed character, confidence and concentration.”

For the final: “For the time, the game had unprecedented intensity. It makes sense, the rivalry between the two organizations is well known, so every win in every derby is important. Players are experienced in these situations. Panathinaikos relied more on the players they had from last year, so everyone knew where they stood and were ready to play this match. Panathinaikos played with great intensity in both matches, and so did we, especially in the final. What we really liked was that in relation to the friendly matches, where we showed that we are a team with a lot of talent, but we were more aggressive and defensively not so focused, yesterday defensively, especially in the 4th period, we were very tough and we won too many “battles”.

For the appearance of Sasha Vezenkov: “Sasha is a member of the organization, he is not a new player, he knows our program. He too is far from his true potential. He started the match very nervously, he was slow to find his rhythm, but how he managed the game shows his maturity and experience in such situations. He didn’t panic, he stayed positive and when he got the chance he decided the result. Certainly, he also comes from a long absence from these types of matches, because for almost a year he did not have a significant participation time, so the continuation can only be positive”.

On the coexistence of Peters and Vezenkov on the floor: “We had in mind from the beginning that Peters would play in the “3”. It is two players that it is unfair to play either one or the other. Last year you saw what kind of year Peters had and what potential he has. Beyond that, we also have many players in the region and we will have to see how it will turn out in practice. That’s something the coach will decide. It’s something we have in mind and we’ll see if we can do it in practice.”

For this year’s goals: “Olympiacos starts every year with the same goals. In every competition he participates to win the last game. The Super Cup was the first title and we are happy to have won it. From there, we have three more goals ahead of us where we will challenge for the title. We have the talent and the ability. We will go game by game to get to the end.”

For the depth of the Olympiakos roster ahead of the Euroleague: “There are a lot of games and a lot of depth is needed on the roster. All teams tried to cover all positions, everyone has many options. On the one hand you need the big roster, on the other hand it is difficult for everyone to have a role in the team, play with confidence and feel important. It is a challenge for us that all players feel like an important member of the team. We will manage the situation. It is clear that all the players are important and will help us during the year”.

For Evan Fournier: “Fournier did not come to Olympiakos and Europe to have his value questioned. Every year for every athlete is a challenge and, regardless of their resume or name, they have to prove who they are every day on the court. In his 12 years in the NBA, today was the start of the 1st day of preseason. As you can see, his organization was not used to such intense games and competition at this time. He is mentally ready, he knows where he has come and what he will face, but theory is one thing and practice is another. For him it was an unprecedented match for the season, but he has shown in the preparation how professional he is. He is very positive, he wants to get into our philosophy as quickly as possible, to adapt to what we want to happen on the pitch. He tries every day. He is a very serious professional and it is only a matter of time before he finds his rhythm and helps us a lot.”

Regarding Fal and Milutinov’s situation: “They are in the final stages of their rehabilitation. They have started exercising and running on the field. It remains for them to start individual training, then join the team and then play official games. I believe in 2-3 weeks they will be ready for an official match. This, of course, is the first part. They have to find their footing, find a rhythm. Fal has been out for several months, so he will need some adjustment time, as will Milutinov. We have a lot of experience in this process and fortunately this year we have the depth on our roster to cover any absences.”

For this year’s championship: “As we have seen the teams in the friendlies, what investments have been made and how they have strengthened their rosters, the league will be very competitive this year. Many teams showed a very good face in preparation, they are at a very good level. We expect every match to be competitive.”