Here are some insightful comments about the game from the protagonists themselves.
Pre-game quotes, third place: Barcelona vs. Olympiacos
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4 Mins read
Sarunas Jasikevicius, FC Barcelona head coach
"First of all, we have to know that this is our next goal: finishing third in the competition. We have to compete and get ready for the remainder of the season in the Spanish League playoffs, as well as getting some players back in shape. It is a mix of things. Like I said, winning the Third Place Game is our next goal. We have to play for our fans here, but that goes without saying. We have to give our best and this is our next game. We have to go for it. They are one of the best teams circulating the ball. They are really good at close-out situations. The key is not allowing them to find close-out situations. They have players who can decide a game like Sloukas, Vezenkov, Dorsey and Walkup."
Rolands Smits, FC Barcelona
“It’s an important game for us, and we must give everything we have to try to win the game. We want to play hard, come out strong and win in order to finish the tournament with good feelings, as much as we can. I think we were good overall, talking about the whole EuroLeague season. Everyone is now disappointed, but now it’s time to stand up and fight hard.”
Alex Abrines, FC Barcelona guard
“The challenge [of this game] for us is to display our pride. We now have to think and prepare for the next games to come in the domestic competition and playing against Olympiacos, a great team that will be feeling almost at home, is great preparation. The past cannot be undone, so we must come out strong, play hard, and try to win the game to rebuild our confidence. Even though right now it’s not easy to think of positive things, overall, I think we did a good job this season in the EuroLeague. We fell short of playing our second final in a row, something all of us hoped for, but we will try to be back and go further.”
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Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach
"You know, those games are really difficult for the coaches and the teams, which are very disappointed. Barca and Olympiacos are disappointed because they lost in a tight game, with a different perspective, but we lost. And we have to play now, in a few hours, this game. For Olympiacos, it is important to finish this trip with a win, especially because our fans will be also here tomorrow. Of course, we have to focus on our domestic league; Olympiacos is having an amazing year, we won the Greek Cup and are first in the domestic league, with the playoffs [home-court] advantage until the end and we played the Final Four. I can't complain to anybody. This game is very difficult, everybody says that, but it is what it is, we have to play it."
Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos Piraeus guard
“It’s not about valuing the third-place game but about valuing the game of basketball. We are extremely blessed to be in Olympiacos, playing in the EuroLeague at the Final Four. It would be a shame if we just go out there and don’t take it seriously. That's how each individual has to approach the game. We know there is no significant meaning to the game, but it’s a game of basketball and that’s something I think we must take seriously. Most important is for our fans, they traveled here, they spent money getting here and that means a lot to us. That’s one of the main reasons to take it seriously.”
Moustapha Fall, Olympiacos Piraeus center
“We just want to finish well, especially for the fans that traveled, although it's a pretty tough game to play. We had a good season, nobody expected us to be so good this year, so we are happy for that, for sure. We are still disappointed about how we finished, but it’s a good step. I think we are building something, and I hope we can keep being successful in the future.”