Olympiacos Piraeus face-off with archrivals Panathinaikos for EuroLeague Round 17, as the Reds will look for their 12th win in the competition that will keep them firmly in the top 3 in the standings.
"We try to approach it as another game on our schedule. That's how we will deal with it", coach Giorgos Bartzokas stressed during his team's Media Day ahead of the big clash.
"Panathinaikos are a team that has strengths and weaknesses, but we will try to play our game," he went on to say.
Bartzokas admitted that Olympiacos's recent Greek League loss to their rivals had been the subject of study for him and his players. "Of course, but not only that," he replied.
Kostas Papanikolaou
| MIN: | 21.67 |
| PTS: | 6.31 (46.39%) |
| REB: | 2.75 |
| As: | 1.38 |
| ST: | 0.69 |
| BL: | 0.06 |
| TO: | 1.25 |
| GM: | 16 |
"We are also studying the most recent games that Panathinaikos have played and, of course, our own last matches. We have to step up on what we do well and what has given us those wins.
We must stick to our plan and not be affected by emotions that are often extreme at OAKA. It is a difficult place to play at, fans get involved and even more when they play against us. So, we have to make our game and stay focused on our plan," he continued.
Asked about the key points of tomorrow's game, Bartzokas referred to the zone defense that Panathinaikos's coach Dimitris Priftis has been using lately.
"Panathinaikos use the zone quite a lot as a basic defensive scheme, deployed two and three times during the game. We have to be ready for that. When Nedovic and Macon score a lot, Panathinaikos get high on the scoreboard.
Generally, we have to defend better against Nedovic than we did the first time, and of course, we must generate plays and rely on what we do - good defense, get many players to contribute on offense," Bartzokas said.
Asked whether Olympiacos's preparation is affected by the fact that there are Covid cases at the opposing camp, Bartzokas pointed out that the whole situation is worrisome.
"We are trying not to be affected, but in general, there is a reflection on what is happening now in the basketball world. What's happening in the NBA is slowly coming to Europe as well, we have the examples of Milan and Madrid.
Now there are cases at Panathinaikos. It worries us because we all want to play basketball, but sports are not cut off from society. It happens around us, and of course, it concerns us. But we will try to focus on basketball," Bartzokas concluded.
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