Bartzokas: «We stayed true to our plan and got an important win»
In the post game following the win in Kaunas, Giorgos Bartzokas analyzed the game against the Lituanians, how our team stopped Fransisco in the second half, while he also talked about the rehabilitation progress of Keenan Evans.
He said in his initial statement: «It was important for us to win, given the festive atmosphere of the days. This was our second road win in the second round of the Euroleague. We won here, after winning in Milan. It's a win we do appreciate a lot. It wasn't easy, in the first half Zalgiris scored 52 points with an amazing 65% with 3-pointers, but we managed to get back in the game, with patience and staying true to our plan, ultimately winning in a very important game. Congratulations to Zalgiris, they are having a remarkable season having built a tough team, with excellent guards that can score many ways and of course, a very good coach. You know, the players we have signed in the last years and were coming from Zalgiris, they all have the best to say about the Zalgiris organization».
Asked about how the team managed to contain Fransisco in the second half: «We had to increase the intensity when guarding him. He made some really difficult shots, but he gained confidence from the way we began the game. Scorers like him and Walker, when they have a good start, it's like they are throwing rocks in the ocean, it's very easy for them to score. Our defense was totally different in the second half, with physicality, with switching on a tactical level, and they missed a lot of shots, I think they only scored three 3-pointers. Another problem for us was offensive rebounds, they scored 19 points from those, a very big number for games like this».
As for Keenan Evans and what he can add to our game, he said: «last year, Evans was among the top 3 guards of the competition, and knowing him now that he has been working for us, during that time of rehabilitation for him, I see he's a rare example of a humble guy, that works hard, has an amazing work ethic and his ambition is to come back after a hard and cruel injury. He's now in the last phase of rehab. We want to stick to the protocols and we hope that in about a month's time he will begin practicing with the team».
About Brazdeikis: «It's hard to talk about Brazdeikis, Trinchieri is his coach now and he knows what must improve on. For us it's hard, Olympiacos is a special team, ambition is always high, there's no room or time for loss. Even though we have made the Final Four three times in the past few years. If you have ups and downs during the game, or from game to game, it becomes a problem, but he's talented, he alwasy listens to his coaches. I think he grew up with a different kind of basketball, in the States, and now Euroleague basketball is very different from anywhere else, it's not just how fast you play, but how fast you must think. I believe his incorporation will be successful, because he's a hard working player».
About lost rebounds: «They shot with 60% from the 3-point line and even when they were missing, they had 6 offensive rebounds at half-time. Some times, you set the tone or else the other team does. That's what we discussed in the locker room during the break. We had to adapt, we had to be patient, we had to aim for some mis-matches. I told them it wouldn't be normal that they kept on shooting with the same success throughout the game and fortunately for us, that's what happened.».