EuroLeague: Bartzokas Warns After Eliminating Fenerbahce: "We'll Go Into the Final With the Same Mentality"

ATHENS. Olympiacos Piraeus advanced to the EuroLeague final after defeating Fenerbahce in the first semifinal of the Final Four held at the Telekom Center Athens, and Georgios Bartzokas made clear after the game what approach the Greek team will take in their bid for the continental title: "We'll go into the final with the same mentality."

The Olympiacos head coach analyzed his team's victory by focusing on the offensive improvement shown after halftime and the defensive work that allowed them to control the semifinal for practically all 40 minutes.

"We lacked creativity in the first half. We only had five assists, and that's not our usual game. In the second half we moved the ball much better and had more patience. We found many opportunities to score near the basket and also from outside," Bartzokas explained after Olympiacos' victory in this EuroLeague Final Four.

The Greek coach also highlighted the physical and mental toughness demanded by this type of game, especially in a scenario of maximum competitive tension like a continental semifinal.

"The defense was really solid for all 40 minutes, and that's very important in games like this. There's a lot of intensity, a lot of tension. You have to be physical and defend well. That's exactly what we did," he said.

Olympiacos responded constantly every time Fenerbahce tried to get back into the game. Bartzokas especially praised his players' ability to react in those key moments of the match.

"Every time they tried to get back into the game and close the gap on the scoreboard, we responded immediately with good preparation, good shot selection and going for the offensive rebound. I can't complain about our performance," said the Piraeus coach.

Another important aspect for Olympiacos was managing the physical condition of the roster, considering that the EuroLeague final will be played just 48 hours after the semifinal.

"We have a deep roster. We're talking about two games in 48 hours. We needed to keep the team fresh for the final," Bartzokas explained.