Georgios Bartzokas explains the huge turnaround in the third quarter / News - Basketnews.com

Bartzokas claimed defensive adjustments, more assists, and better foul usage were key in turning the game around against ALBA.

Credit: IMAGO/Contrast - Scanpix Credit IMAGO/Contrast - Scanpix

Olympiacos Piraeus were down by three at halftime but went on to win Friday's EuroLeague game against ALBA Berlin by 27. After the game, the Greek team's head coach, Georgios Bartzokas, explained the turnaround.

Player of the Game EFF 27 Alec Peters Points 23 Accuracy 9-11 Rebounds 7 Assists 1

Olympiacos won the third quarter 27-8 and basically put the game out of question. Asked what was different in the second half, Bartzokas mainly mentioned the team's defense.

"If you think that we were losing by three at halftime and we end up winning by almost thirty, something probably needed to change in our approach. That's what was said at halftime. They had 14 assists, they had 9 threes at 55%. With the pace of the game, we had only five fouls in the first half," the coach explained the first half in the post-game interview.

"Our defense was solid in the second half. We changed a little bit tactically, but we finally had 30 assists, we scored almost 90 points, and we beat a team that won against Barcelona in the previous week. It's a win that we really appreciate," Bartzokas said.

Olympiacos finished the first part of the EuroLeague season with a 9-8 winning percentage. Talking about the team's performance and what's coming next, Bartzokas proclaimed that Olympiacos are going to be even better.

"Every win is very important. We wanted to close the year with a win. We know our potential, we know we have talent, we just need to get together. A lot of players are coming from injuries. We need to be all together on the same page. Sooner or later, we're going to be one of the toughest teams in the EuroLeague," he said.

In the post-game press conference, Bartzokas was asked about Luke Sikma, a veteran forward who used to play for ALBA Berlin but transferred to Olympiacos last summer. After being arguably the most important player on the squad, Sikma is now relegated to a role player.

"We had the same problem last year with Sasha Vezenkov when Alec Peters was behind him. Sasha Vezenkov was the MVP of the EuroLeague last year, and it was really difficult for Alec Peters to find the rhythm and express his talent. For Luke, it's a little difficult with Alec having a year with us, he knows the system exactly, he plays very well," Bartzokas explained.

"Luke is very experienced, his presence on the team is very important everywhere, in the locker room, on the floor, everywhere. More or less, he will have the opportunity to show his potential," the coach concluded.

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