Olympiacos took the first step in the Euroleague Final Four, eliminating Fenerbahce in the semifinals, and now Giorgos Bartzokas and his players want to take the second step, to beat Real Madrid for the second time in the final and win the fourth European trophy, against the winner of 11 titles.
“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 tactical adjustments,” Giorgos Bartzokas said in his opening statement at the pre-final press conference.
The Olympiacos coach was asked about the absence of three big men (Tavares, Lens and Garouba) from the Real Madrid 12 due to injuries and replied, “I’m never happy when I see a player get injured. Real Madrid 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 Madrid, and that comes from quality and experience.”
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In response to a question from the Athens Macedonian News Agency (APE-MPE) about the fact that although Olympiacos had a chance to avoid the curse of first place in the regular season, but didn’t do so (ed.”The truth is that I was very superstitious. I worked on that and I am working on it and now I would say that I am 50% superstitious compared to before. I will tell you… yes we had a chance to finish second, but you can’t sit back and lose. You can’t do that.”
As for whether he slept soundly last night, when asked, Bartzokas replied, “Yes, I slept. About six and a half hours (laughs).”
About tonight’s Iron Maiden concert at OAKA and whether Olympiacos is ready to respond to a higher-scoring game: “It will be a great concert, it’s a shame I won’t be able to go. You never know how a match can turn out. Everybody said that 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 how you react to the stress and how you play the game.”
On how different he feels he is from 2013 when he won his first and only Euroleague title to now, Giorgos Bartzokas replied, “I’m as different as any of us are after all these years. As a result of dramatic defeats and all the other … It’s all about how you make the most of each thing, whether you get depressed or whatever. Experience is important. The only thing in common with 2013 is that the opponents are the same, but I see the same hunger and focus on how we execute what we need to do to be victorious.”
On whether Real are the most dangerous team when they are underdogs, the Olympiacos coach said: “Real are usually the favourites, they are rarely the underdogs. So I don’t really know.”
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On how difficult it is to prepare his team for a match that decides success or failure and whether he thinks it’s time to see series of matches: “Preparation is not only 24 hours, the team is built throughout the year. If you have to make some adjustments you only have one day. What you can do is build on the principles that got you here. Of course there is individual and team scouting. We all say what we believe based on what works for us. In theory, Olympiacos, as the regular season leader in three of the last four years, could prove its superiority in a series of games. In a game you can win or lose. That’s the beauty of the Final 4, perhaps the most important weekend in world basketball. You also need the circumstances, momentum, luck and health.”
About pressure and how coaches deal with it: “I totally agree with Sergio. I try to block out the noise. I don’t answer the phones and I apologise. I’m not arrogant, but I have to be focused on my work. I don’t look at social media, I don’t even read articles, I try to be in my circle with my colleagues and the players. No matter what happens tomorrow, Olympiacos and Real Madrid are not… over tomorrow. Olympiacos will be even stronger in the coming years, I’m sure of that. Let’s live the moment.”
On how he wants to avoid this mess: “All the talk about the favorite is not provocative, but they are opinions that don’t affect us. Both teams have a lot of quality. Sometimes the pressure the home team has is a disadvantage. Real seem to have excuses to play without pressure. We want to play our game.”
