Georgios Bartzokas, head coach of Olympiacos, addressed the media after Game 1 of the EuroLeague quarterfinal series against Monaco.
Georgios Bartzokas and Olympiacos justified their status as favorites in the series. Although the game was close in the first half, they showed outstanding form in the second 20 minutes and secured a convincing win.
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“We won the first game of the series, which was our main goal. In the end, the difference was 20 points, but that does not matter. The win is what matters. We needed to control our emotions better, we had some unnecessary reactions, and that should not happen, especially on offense, but we have the quality to score 90+ points. We also held Monaco to 70 points with poor shooting percentages.”
He continued in the same tone when speaking about the series:
“There are no special coaching instructions when it comes to intensity, that is something understood. You play with intensity and see what your opponent and your team bring. This is a team used to playing with eight players. We have to forget this game immediately and focus on Thursday, which we must win even if it is by one point.”
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Cory Joseph delivered one of his best performances since joining the team.
“It is clear what he brings – energy, creativity, he played fantastic. He scored 13 points, which is a big number in games like this. Nobody doubted his quality.”
On the other hand, Tyson Ward saw limited minutes, and Georgios Bartzokas explained it was due to injury concerns.
“From today’s game, he took a hit to the body and it was 50-50 whether he would play. Tyler Dorsey had an ankle sprain, so I decided not to put him back in. Sasha Vezenkov had stitches on his face, and Cory Joseph took a hit to the face as well, but he did not need stitches.”
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He emphasized that he expects a stronger response from Monaco in the next game:
“The core of their team is the same, they have offensive talent and are difficult to guard. If we do not play good defense, we will have problems. They control the ball well, their wings contribute offensively, and their bigs are Daniel Theis and Jaxson Hayes. There is no underestimating them. Thursday’s game will be different. We must stick to our principles, win even by one point, and move forward.”
Olympiacos now lead the best-of-five quarterfinal series 1-0, with Game 2 scheduled for Thursday at 20:00.
Olympiacos showed their POWER and blew Monaco out in Game 1! 🔴⚪🔥
— Basketball Sphere (@BSphere_) April 28, 2026
Sasha Vezenkov with an MVP-type performance despite a strong hit to the nose: 20 points in 26 minutes!
Can Monaco bounce back in the next game? 👀#OlympiacosBC pic.twitter.com/YQKka7odd3
