By Antonis Stroggylakis / info@eurohoops.net
Olympiacos Piraeus coach Giorgos Bartzokas was frustrated over the performance of his team in the 73 – 87 away loss to Crvena Zvezda, that he characterized as the “worst” in the season so far.
“We need to look ourselves in the mirror and realize that we have to do whatever it takes to win games in this level,” Bartzokas said in the post-game presser. “And not just play for our numbers and stats. We had 17 turnovers. We had 20 percent on threes. Defensively, we were softer than butter.”
Zvezda was quite superior to Olympiacos after the break following a balanced first half that ended with the Serbian side up 39 – 38. The hosts entered the third quarter with a 11-0 run and proceeded to establish a lead beyond double figures.
Olympiacos, that was minus starting center Moustapha Fall for a second straight game, tried to react down the stretch but the Reds’ efforts weren’t enough. In the end, Bartzokas saw his team suffering its heaviest defeat this season.
“There’s no excuse that Mous Fall was out, or that Moses Wright is out or that some players were sick in the last couple of days,” Bartzokas added. “If you are a solid team, you go out and you play as a team. It’s a different thing if you win or lose. Today we played really bad. We tried to win the game individually. We didn’t want to execute our game plan, defensively and offensively. We got beaten in every offense or defense that included contact. So we deserved to lose.”