'It's inhuman': Bartzokas blasts packed schedule, explains Walkup's performance / News - Basketnews.com

After Olympiacos' loss to Barcelona, Giorgos Bartzokas and Thomas Walkup weighed in on the causes of the Reds' defeat and named what their team should improve. The Greek coach blasted the packed schedule and explained why his point guard had 5 turnovers.

Credit: Srdjan Stevanovic/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Srdjan Stevanovic/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Even though Olympiacos Piraeus were up 66-59 with less than five minutes left on the game clock, FC Barcelona reacted instantly and got away with a big win (77-68) from the Peace and Friendship Stadium on Friday night as the hosts ran out of steam.

Player of the Game EFF 22 Nicolas Laprovittola Points 17 Accuracy 7-9 Rebounds 0 Assists 7

Giorgos Bartzokas couldn't count on guard Nigel Williams-Goss, and forwards Shaquielle McKissic and Luke Sikma, while center Moustapha Fall was also coming off an injury that didn't allow him to stay on the court for more than 14 minutes. At the same time, Goss' absence meant that Thomas Walkup would play way past his average time.

It's interesting that the American-born, naturalized Greek player scored seven points in Olympiacos' rally in the fourth quarter, but he was unable to help his team at crunch time, when Barca made a sweeping 2-18 run that decided the outcome.

Overall, Walkup's time clocked in at 35:35, adding to his accumulated fatigue. For the first time in his Olympiacos' stint, he had five turnovers, along with just two assists and zero steals, while taking eight of his 15 field-goal attempts in the last period.

The numbers reveal an alarming reality for the Reds, who suffered their first loss of the season, in their first home game.

"Walkup should have played 20 minutes according to his tests," Bartzokas said in the presser.

"And because Goss is out, he's playing 35. He makes mistakes and wrong decisions because he's emaciated. He played with the national team because it was important for everyone. He doesn't cheat in any part of the game, he's playing everywhere.

Now we have to deal with what happened in the summer, and I'm the one who must do that," the Greek tactician noted.

Bartzokas further pointed out that Olympiacos had a problematic preseason since they were lacking several players who were participating in the FIBA World Cup.

Thomas Walkup

MIN:37.17PTS:15.5 (42.86%)REB:2.5As:3.5ST:1.5BL:0TO:4GM:2ProfileEuroLeague2023/2024

"I don't want to present it as an excuse," he said, "but our preparation was incomplete. We started with good wins in the Super Cup and at OAKA, we also beat Aris when we lost two players. I feel like right now we are undermanned.

I feel like everybody's trying. And we're trying to keep them fresh. We have talent and team spirit, now we are trying to patch up the holes."

The two-time EuroLeague Coach of the Year called the EuroLeague a 'tough' competition and stressed that the schedule is 'inhumane for everyone.'

"We're playing Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday. The level of basketball is also dropping. This goes for everyone, but we should also be able to enjoy it. The team will make a lot of big wins, it will definitely lose games as well. Let's stick with the previous years' philosophy, that every game is special," he continued.

"I can't blame my players, our rotation was small," he argued. "Not everyone is at a good level of form. For instance, Fall asked us to be subbed out, he can't play a lot of minutes straight. As time goes by, we will get better," Bartzokas said.

According to Olympiacos' head coach, the main reason his team lost the game was their overexcitement and the fact that they allowed Alex Abrines and Nicolas Laprovittola to shoot 'almost 60% from distance.' The two combined for 33 points and 8/12 3-point shooting.

"Every time we took the lead, they made tough, contested shots," Bartzokas lamented.

"Our physical forces influenced our spiritual forces and we made bad choices. We couldn't keep our energy, intensity and good communication on defense. We twice went for a steal, and we conceded two three-pointers when we just had to stay in front of them," he noted.

Thomas Walkup said it was Olympiacos' poor execution in the last five minutes that cost them the game.

"We didn't play well at all, they made big shots. And that hurt us. We had no concentration on defense and offense. We were certainly tired and missing players, but in the end, we should have made better decisions," the point guard told NOVASPORTS.

Walkup commented on his own performance, arguing that things are tough for a point guard.

"He makes decisions, he puts others in the game. I definitely made some shots but that's not enough. The point guard must be a leader."

Now, Olympiacos are traveling to Milan to face Olimpia, before returning to Piraeus for the match against Partizan. Walkup is expecting to see his team have better "ball movement on offense" and "better choices"

"We're making a lot of mistakes and we have to correct them."

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