Bartzokas bashes referees' calls in game vs. Zvezda, comments on Olympiacos' last play / News - Basketnews.com

Following Olympiacos' home defeat to Crvena Zvezda, Giorgos Bartzokas was evidently upset with the officiating. However, the Greek coach appeared calmer in the press conference.

Credit: IMAGO/kolbert-press-scanpix Credit IMAGO/kolbert-press-scanpix

Once again, Olympiacos Piraeus blew a double-digit lead in the first half (44-33) to suffer another EuroLeague loss.

This time around, the culprit was Crvena Zvezda who took advantage of the Greek side's lapses in the second part and escaped the Peace and Friendship Stadium with a huge 90-86 win. It was the second straight loss for Olympiacos, who are now standing at 9-6 just one week before being hosted by their big rivals, Panathinaikos Athens, at OAKA.

Coach Giorgos Bartzokas bashed the referees' calls in the game, without specifying the plays he was focusing on.

"We allowed a team to score 90 points in our home court. It's hard for anyone to win like that, but there were some decisions that really shocked me," the Greek coach said in the flash interview.

In the postgame presser, Bartzokas was more subtle in his comment, stating: "You will allow me not to speak about other things because I don't want to be punished."

The Greek tactician spoke about the game itself, where Crvena Zvezda managed to make up for their 16 turnovers through their excellent shooting percentages (74% 2PT, 45% 3PT). The game was played in a friendly atmosphere, especially in the first half, as Olympiacos and Crvena Zvezda fans mixed up in the stands, chanting in Greek and Serbian.

"I would like to congratulate Red Star on their victory," Bartzokas opened his presser.

"It was a really interesting game, and also a strange one. We had 26 assists, 10 steals and only 7 turnovers. Red Star had 16 turnovers, and we lost. Anyway, we will analyze what we did wrong and be ready for the first game."

Olympiacos were down 86-88 with 16 seconds on the game clock. Bartzokas called a timeout and drew the last play which was executed by Kostas Sloukas. The Greek guard took the ball and shot it in front of Luka Mitrovic's extended arms. He missed, Zvezda got the rebound, and the rest is history.

"Regarding the last possession, we called a play specific to either make the shot or draw a foul. We had Sloukas as the main man, Black on the screen, Vezenkov on the back screen, and two shooters in the corners. We got a pull-up with Sloukas that we missed, if we had made it, we would have won," Bartzokas explained.

"The shots that don't go in are part of the game."

Bartzokas also left a comment on his team's defensive performance.

"When the opponent scores so much and you allow high percentages, this means you definitely have to do better."

Center Tarik Black concurred, arguing that the Reds' issue was on defense, especially in the second half when the hosts conceded 49 points.

"We didn't pay attention and lacked concentration. So we were giving them a chance to score," Black told Greek broadcaster NOVASPORTS.

"When the opponent team doesn't let us get the assists we want, that confuses us, and we don't know what to do," the American big man admitted.

"When our ball movement doesn't work, that confuses us on defense as well. We can't function when they read us in this part."

Black also commented on the upcoming game, which is the Greek derby vs. Panathinaikos on December 30.

"There are guys in the locker room who know how to manage such situations. We are a good team, and we have to show that."

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