Olympiacos Piraeus (4-2) returned to winning ways after their defeat to CSKA Moscow last week by downing ALBA Berlin (2-4) 87-83 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium.
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
17
|
| Tyler Dorsey | |
| Points | 13 |
| Accuracy | 3-6 |
| Rebounds | 3 |
| Assists | 2 |
In the post-game presser, the Reds’ head coach Giorgos Bartzokas emphasized the fatigue that all EuroLeague teams have to deal with during the season and gave credit to ALBA for their team game.
“It’s a really important win against a good team. Congratulations to our players and fans. We are at the end of October, which is the month with the most games all season long. So, every game and every win is important,” the Greek coach said at the beginning.
“The next one will be the fourth game in seven days for Fenerbahce also. Right now, there are many areas where we are inconsistent, like our team spirit and our defense.
We focused on trying to stop Sikma, and by the end of the first half, he had already dished out 7 assists. I understand the players because there are too many games and the concentration required is a quality that only top-level athletes can demonstrate.
We are going through a process where we need to improve on many aspects of the game and control our feelings. We need to be more cynical,” Bartzokas went on to say.
Asked about ALBA’s 16 offensive rebounds, the experienced coach replied: “We use different lineups and tactics because of Martin’s absence. Excluding Moustapha Fall, all other players used as centers are essentially forwards.
We are more flexible and better on perimeter defense. ALBA is a team that fights on the offensive boards, and Sikma is probably the best offensive rebounder in the league. It’s hard to draw conclusions because we had only one day to prepare the game, and there was little to improve.”
Bartzokas was also asked about Shaquielle McKissic’s self-confidence and whether the American forward suffers from a lack of it in the course of some games.
“He went strong to the rim and drew fouls, made some drives to the basket. There’s a lot of things ahead of us to resolve, and we shouldn’t overcoach,” he replied.
“We’re here to support every player, but all teams will lose games during the season. Defeats generate additional pressure. Players are not machines.
We will see strange results, like ALBA’s win in Belgrade by almost 20 points. They circulate the ball well and play a good team game. We shouldn’t underestimate them. They are a team that no one considers a favorite for the playoffs.
Those types of games, the so-called “must win”, are the hardest in the EuroLeague,” the coach of Olympiacos concluded.
On the other end, ALBA Berlin’s coach Israel Gonzalez focused on the big disparity in his team’s performance in the two halves of the game in Piraeus:
“Congratulations to Olympiacos. We didn’t start the game well. We defended badly on one-on-one and pick n’ roll situations. We struggled on defense and offense, we didn’t start well either. We didn’t pass the ball nor try to attack the rim.
But in the second half, we played much better and became more aggressive on offense. I am happy with the team’s effort, we’re recovering some players little by little. We’re using games to get players that come from injuries in shape”, the Spanish specialist pointed out in the press conference.
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