Bartzokas: “When the measures were announced, I was afraid that the ball would get to us too”

On the 14th matchday of the EuroLeague, Olympiacos and Valencia will meet at the Peace and Friendship Stadium (December 15th, Novasports Prime, Sportish Match Center) and Giorgos Bartzokas spoke about the upcoming game with the Spaniards.

Aside from the competition part, the Greek coach also referred to the fear he had before the announcement of the government’s measures that the ball could also conquer them, stressing that the games at the Stadium of Peace and Friendship are a celebration.

In detail what he said:

“They are a team that is the best defensively in the EuroLeague in terms of points per possession, i.e. the points they give to the opponent. A team that fundamentally chooses too many different types of defense, but relies on the athleticism of its big players.” There are mobile, big players like Davis and Inglis who can change screens and mark the edge of the pitch. We have a plan on how we will play against them. They are a team that is in good shape, they have a good performance but they are still in good shape. And of course a difficult game for us, especially at home, which we have to win and it won’t be easy at all.”

Because all the players were available to him: “I’m really happy to see the whole team because if I’m not mistaken, it was the first training session where we were all together. Of course, not everyone is at the same level of form, that’s a given, because there are some who can’t. “I’ve come in now, but overall the quality of training and competition has improved a lot. I think if this is maintained in a short period of time, it will give us an improvement in our performance.”

For the acceptance of new players and injured people: “Not having stability from five minutes to five minutes is a very fundamental factor. First is the chemistry that comes from the fives you play, that is, after the first rotation we do, how often the players have been on the field, in games and in training. Aside from how good it makes them feel and the confidence it gives them. I think overall we’re on a good plan, I think our squad is very well placed to do good things. It remains to stay healthy both mentally and physically in order to understand what our team needs so that we are all on the same page, which I have every confidence we will succeed in because they are all good characters. And finally, we want to see where we end up in our EuroLeague limit this year.”

For the government’s measures and the fact that basketball stadiums continue to be overcrowded: “When the measures were announced on Monday at 12:30 p.m., I was very worried, I was very afraid that the ball wouldn’t reach us, which we think is very important that that doesn’t happen. In the sense that none of this is happening.” You, who are here at the Games in the SEF, I think it’s a celebration. It’s a very civilized atmosphere, there’s a lot of passion for our team, but in a very good context. And we want it to happen on an equal footing. “We will play away in full stadiums and in seats that are very warm for the home team, and we would like to have that by the end of the year.”