Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos head coach, spoke at the press conference following his team’s win over Panathinaikos in Game 2 of the Greek Basket League finals.
Olympiacos is on the verge of another title as they currently lead the series 2-0. Interestingly, the Athens-based “Greens” have won the EuroLeague but have not secured any titles in Greece. Olympiacos has so far won both the Greek Cup and the Greek Super Cup.
“I would like to congratulate both teams because it was a tremendously high-quality game from both sides. Very high-level considering its criticality. Panathinaikos played very well, shooting 50% from three-point range in the first half, but for us, the important thing was that we were only one point behind, despite them having only seven turnovers with that shooting percentage. In the second half, we imposed our rhythm, found open shots, and made them.
As basketball is today, there was no lead of 10, 12, or 13 points that couldn’t be overturned in a short period. We made some good defensive plays, made some shots, made good decisions, and managed the situation. Towards the end, Panathinaikos kept sending us to the free-throw line, fouling, and to a large extent, we missed. We achieved the 2-0 lead, which is very important in such a series, against a strong opponent. Nothing is over. With the same humility and confidence in our team, we will approach Game 3,” Georgios Bartzokas said.
“Don’t drag me into such things. I calculate how many players are here and their contracts are valid, even those who don’t play and support the team in practice. We suffered a big blow with Fall’s absence, Wright was out, and we struggled with rebounds. Nevertheless, the team responds entirely, regardless of the contracts we still have, respecting our work and the organization. The game is decided by three wins, and because we have seen a lot in basketball, we will approach Game 3 the same way.”
As for the significance of Game 3 to avoid giving hope to Panathinaikos, he replied: “There is no comparison with 2013. Olympiacos then had shaken up European basketball and won two consecutive EuroLeague titles with a 6.5 million euro budget. Our players were very underpaid, but after winning two EuroLeagues in a row, they received huge offers. Panathinaikos now has a big budget. Back then, our players received offers that blew their minds. If it was ‘A’, it became ‘5A’. Also, in 2013, the game never ended. Let’s not compare eras or anything. Even the rules are different. We have a tough game in a venue we have won before. Panathinaikos is hurt, but if we play as we can, I think we have good chances to win.”
Thomas Walkup and Isaiah Canaan
The next game will be played on June 10th in Athens, with Panathinaikos as the host.
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