Olympiacos is preparing for the grand final of the Euroleague against Real Madrid, with Giorgos Bartzokas appearing focused and fully aware of the difficulty of the task.
The coach of the reds, speaking at the press conference before the final at the Telekom Center, described the experience of participating in a final of this level as invaluable, making it clear that his team deserves to be there.
“There are moments in our careers that are priceless. One of them is playing in a final, especially against a great team like Real Madrid. It will be a great battle. We are excited, we deserve to be here, just like Real Madrid. I think we are ready, we have a day to prepare our body and mind and make regular adjustments.”
Real’s absences and talk of favourites
The experienced technician was asked about the problems of Real in front line and about whether Olympiacos is considered a favorite after the injuries of the Madrid players.
He avoided getting into that and stressed that he is in no way expecting an easy night against Sergio Scariolo’s team.
“I’m never happy to see a player get injured. Real will be without three very important players. You never know in basketball at the end of the day who will be the deciding factor in the game. Sergio I’m sure he will prepare something to cover the absences, like a zone. He’s smart and experienced enough for his team to be competitive. We don’t expect an easy game by any means. Don’t expect me to say we’re the favorite. We have faith in our team, and so does Real, and that comes from quality and experience.”
When asked if he managed to sleep peacefully after qualifying for the final, the Olympiacos coach replied with humor, “Yes, I slept. About six and a half hours.”
Bartzokas: The pressure of the final and the style of the game
Bartzokas also touched on how the final can play out, explaining that in these kinds of games it all depends on managing the pressure and not just on talent or pace.
At the same time, he also made a comment about the Iron Maiden concert, smiling and saying he would have liked to be there.
“It’s going to be a great gig, it’s a shame I won’t be able to go. You never know how a match might turn out. Everybody said the best offense plays the best defense in the semifinals, but I think our defense was key to winning. The game went at a low tempo. Even if two offensive teams play, the game will definitely not end 100-100. What matters is the human factor, how the players handle the pressure. I think we are flexible in different types of basketball, we did that during the year even in games where we had absences. It’s all about how you react to the stress and how you play the game.”
First published by sport-fm.gr
