ATHENS. Sasha Vezenkov was once again decisive in Olympiacos Piraeus's qualification for the EuroLeague final after defeating Fenerbahce in the Final Four at the Telekom Center Athens. The regular season MVP highlighted the defensive level shown by the Greek team and assured that the squad is just one step away from achieving its main objective.
"Our defense, for me, was elite," Vezenkov said after the semifinal, after scoring 16 points, 14 of them in the second half, extending his streak of 26 consecutive EuroLeague games scoring at least 10 points.
The Bulgarian small forward explained that one of the most important messages from head coach Georgios Bartzokas during halftime was to maintain the defensive intensity shown at the start of the game, especially after some moments of disconnection that allowed Fenerbahce to cut into the lead.
"We have to keep playing the way we did during the first 15 minutes of the game. Our defense was elite, although we had some ups and downs in the last five minutes and especially in the fourth quarter," explained the Olympiacos leader.
Despite the victory and qualification for the EuroLeague final, Vezenkov wanted to maintain a cautious tone and reminded that the work is not yet finished for the Piraeus squad.
"Fenerbahce has so much talent, but we defended incredibly well and we are one win away from our objective. We have to stay humble because we haven't achieved anything yet. We have 48 hours to rest and go for it," he said.
The 30-year-old player also wanted to put the entire Olympiacos season into perspective, reminding that the team's true objective is exclusively to win the continental title this Sunday.
"At the end of the day, you have to play the final to win it. We've played 40 games so far, but that doesn't matter because our main objective is on Sunday," Vezenkov added.
Another aspect highlighted by the EuroLeague MVP was the depth of Olympiacos's roster, a factor he considers key to sustaining the competitive pace in such a physically demanding Final Four.
"We have so much talent and a very deep roster, even with important players out of the lineup. Everyone has to contribute and know their role. That's very important for this team," he explained.