Bartzokas: “There is a lot of hatred between us, we don’t see what is happening on the planet”

Once again Giorgos Bartzokas showed that his reason and thoughts are not only limited to the competition part. The Olympiakos coach responded to the question of what happened to Rendis and what tensions have been observed in the last few days after addressing the events at Bayern. At the same time, he explained how he wants to use Filip Petrusev in the next game period.

In detail what Giorgos Bartzokas said:

“It was a strange game. We started with the right attitude, on both ends of the floor. We played good defense and scored a lot of points through surprise and ball movement. Somehow at this point we thought the game was going to be really easy. In the end we won the match without doing anything spectacular. The game was +12 to +15, it looked like +20 could be reached, but Bayern showed the will to fight until the end.

At the end of possession we conceded a total of 15 points. In total, we counted four balls in possession that Bayern received and scored. We should be the first at all these balls. But I appreciate the win no matter what. Especially after two defeats against Monaco and Real Madrid. Bayern were on a three-game winning streak in the EuroLeague. So far it seems that the competition has a lot of injuries, every player is losing and has losses. Bayern is a strong contender for a place in the playoffs“.

How the coaching staff can convince the players that the game doesn’t end at +16 in the first period: “I think it’s obvious why we lost the next three quarters. We didn’t play at the same pace. Our problem at the moment is that we are trying to get some players into the rotation who have been out for a long time due to injuries. It makes sense for them to get out of rhythm, but we have no choice. We have to build a management system where we gradually use players who have been out for so long.

Overall I think we are good. We didn’t play badly against Real Madrid, we just missed the target. We weren’t bad against Monaco. Every race is difficult. All games are closed. There is no easy game, what matters is winning to move forward“.

How he wants to use Philip Petrusev: “In my opinion, it’s not so important what you think, but rather what the player wants you to believe. That is, in what he is strong and in what he is weak. My feeling is that with “4” you have a player who is athletic and knows the sport well. But let’s not forget that he was out for two months, especially in Sacramento. He was caught during the first exercises he did here. That means it takes time. He is generally intelligent. He can also play at “5” depending on the conditions and what the opponent gives us. Now we have five big, high-end ones. It all depends on the game and my instincts, which can sometimes be wrong“.

Regarding the possibility of stopping all sporting activities after what happened to Rentis: “I will position myself better as soon as the measures are announced. It’s very sociable and less sporty. It has to do with education, there is a lot of hatred between us. We don’t see what’s happening on the planet. This hatred repeatedly manifests itself in fan incidents, which recently resulted in two deaths. Strict measures are being taken, honestly when it comes to protecting the sport and people’s lives I am very positive.

Furthermore, the decision makers are obviously the ones in charge. My wish is that things continue to exist, to be done, to happen, but that the Games are a celebration and not a place of confrontation“.

For Luke Sikma: “He was in Alba for six years and before that in Valencia. Here he is suddenly asked to step in and play the role Alec Peters played last year, behind Sasha Vezenkov. That and his injury set him back a bit. I firmly believe in its value. Maybe he can find a better rhythm for the EuroLeague through the Stoiximan Basket League“.