Bartzokas: “This is how we reached three Final 4 series – I believe we will continue like this”

A crowd of Serbian journalists was waiting for him George Bartzokas after his workout Olympiakou in Belgrade ahead of Thursday’s match against Partizan.

“We are coming off a six-game winning streak, some of them really tough. We have enough problems for the match against Partizan. Wright and Vezenkov are out, Fournier is training but had a virus and we’ll see if he plays tomorrow. Dorsey has just returned from an absence of ten days. It is questionable who will play and who is ready. We have a big challenge ahead of us to play in such an atmosphere and see if we can execute our plan and be consistent in a difficult venue, against a good team and Zeljko (Obrandovic). We don’t expect an easy game, on the contrary. Last year we struggled a lot in this stadium and won in the end. But we have faith for victory“, emphasized the coach of Piraeus.

About the team’s absences, he said:We try to establish a way we play where everyone feels useful to the team. We distribute the ball well, we are first in assists. Sasha’s absence is important for us, but we can play as a team and win. Last week we won without him. We have confidence in our players. That’s why this year we have more depth than last year, since we understand that during the season there will be absences due to illnesses and injuries. You need the bench to cope with such problems».

Asked about Nikola Milutinov’s form, he said:It is obvious that since the time he returned we have had a great run. He was very important to us and really helped us. Nikola we know who he is, when he is healthy he can dominate every game. He was out with a fracture for over a month, then he had to find his rhythm, but now he feels good. It would be a privilege for any team in Europe to have him».

Finally, he talked about the secret of being in consecutive Final 4s.Last year we reached the Final 4 even though we had lost very important players in the summer. Vezenkov went to the NBA, Slukas and other important players left, even Boloboi. We had to rebuild the team and we got to the end. It was incredible, especially with the injuries we had. We have a lot of talent this year, but I always think chemistry is more important. Team unity in difficult times. That’s why we go practice by practice, game by game. You see the schedule we have, it’s… mountain. That’s why we focus on the next practice and the next game. This is how we reached three Final 4 series. I believe that we will continue, etci”.