By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The experienced center of Real Madrid, Walter Tavares certainly did not hold back in a response to Giorgos Bozikas. Following Round 22 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season and a winning effort for Olympiacos in Movistar Arena, the assistant of head coach Giorgos Bartzokas called Los Blancos a ‘flopping’ team among more controversial comments.
“Shut up and be honest about some decisions…” wrote the 32-year-old Cape Verdean, two-time EuroLeague champion, in a post shared on his X account.
Talking to Greek pay television network Novasports after the latest team outing in Europe’s premier club continental competition on Thursday, Bozikas shared his view on how his side prevailed in the capital of Spain using his overall opinion on Madrid.
“I said before the game, you can’t beat Real with tactics but by being tough,” he mentioned, “We were much tougher than them. It showed in many moments.”
“At some point, the players of Real got frustrated and started complaining to the referees after every play. It is a team that looks to affect the referees, is constantly flopping, and puts pressure, not only by the players and the bench but from the whole gym, to get as many favorable calls as possible. But losing battles and trailing, they got frustrated and lost focus. They got involved with other things, outside of the game,” added Bozikas, “We remained focused against this pressure. We showed our quality and how tough we are on the court and mentally.”