The Olympiacos head coach is relishing a top-of-the-standings clash with EuroLeague debutant Paris in the next round
Georgios Bartzokas hails ironclad defense in gritty win over Monaco
Article
3 Mins read
Olympiacos Piraeus climbed up to second place in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings with a workmanlike 80-89 win at AS Monaco after steely second-half defense saw the visitors stifle out the home side’s main weapons, notably the competition’s all-time top scorer Mike James, who was limited to a mere 10 points.
James dished out 12 assists and Alpha Diallo finished on a game-high 21 points, but Monaco went ice-cold from the floor when the chips were down while Olympiacos made a barrage of big shots at the other end and improved to 9-4 while Monaco dropped to 8-5.
It was a welcome victory for the visiting team’s head coach Georgios Bartzokas as Olympiacos bounced back from last week’s 78-70 reverse at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, and the 59-year-old tactician heaped praise on his men for a rock-solid performance.
“The level of the quality from both teams was really high. Great players on both teams and I think it was a spectacular game for the fans,” Coach Bartzokas told the post-game press conference. “This is the EuroLeague nowadays and you need to be at the highest level. We were good defensively in the second half, when we allowed 35 points. Monaco had 16 assists in the first half but in the end, they reverted to their nature. A lot of pull-up jumpers and we defended them really well. It was another important road win for us in a tough schedule as we head into the game with Paris.
“We changed three defenses during the game as we wanted to keep the ball away from Mike James, hence we risked a little bit by allowing pull-up jumpers from players like Elie Okobo and Matthew Strazel.”
It was the first EuroLeague clash between Bartzokas and former Olympiacos legend Vassilis Spanoulis, who took over as head coach at Monaco last week and made a dream start with an 88-91 win at reigning champ Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens – his other former club.
Bartzokas assessed that a glittering and trophy-laden career as a player had opened the doors to Spanoulis for top coaching jobs, as the 42-year-old enjoyed stints with Greek top division club Peristeri and the country’s national team before a stunning move to Monaco.
“I am happy for Vassilis,” said Bartzokas.” Because of the amazing name he made for himself as a player, he got an immediate opportunity to take very good [coaching] jobs. Monaco is a target for pretty much every European coach and after only two years of experience at this level, he has the opportunity to coach some great players and a really good team.”
Bartzokas added that EuroLeague debutant Paris Basketball, his team’s next opponent, has left an overwhelming impression after rocketing to the top of the pile with nine straight wins which propelled the top-flight newcomer to a 10-3 record.
“It’s a big surprise for everybody but it’s a good surprise. Basketball needs something new sometimes and they deserve to be here. France now has three teams in the EuroLeague thanks to the country’s outstanding natural talent and athletic ability, two of them being strong contenders for at least the top eight.”
Spanoulis conceded that Monaco had lapsed at crunch time against Olympiacos but took a lot of positives from a defeat which he described as part of a learning curve.
“We gave away the too many easy points in the first half and we just need to be more focused defensively,” said the winner of three titles as a player in Europe’s premier club competitions. “The EuroLeague is a marathon, there will be wins and losses and we’ll see what happens.
“This loss will make us better and we will be ready for Friday [at home to ALBA Berlin]. This is a great example for us that you can’t win all the time as improving the team is a process and teams that improve the most during the season will go all the way, it’s as simple as that. The important thing is to learn from every loss as I am not the kind of guy looking for excuses.”