Bartzokas reacts to his portrayal by PAO: 'I'm the target of propaganda' / News - Basketnews.com

Following Olympiacos' easy win over Panathinaikos in Game 3 of the Greek finals, Giorgos Bartzokas commented on the way some PAO-affiliated media have presented him. He also touched on how tension in Greece can lead to a different outcome compared to other countries.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis Credit Vangelis Stolis

In Game 3 of the Greek league finals held at the Peace and Friendship Stadium,Olympiacos Piraeus held rivalsPanathinaikos Athensdown to just 52 points (75-52), thus making it 2-1 in the series.

3-pointers this season

37%9,7Points made:9,7Accuracy:36,9%Place in standings:5Record max:19Record min:3Most made 3FGs:Aleksandr VezenkovTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

The Reds saw Kostas Sloukas take the reins in the second half and hand his team an easy win. Olympiacos need one more against PAO to celebrate their second straight championship title. The two teams will lock horns again next Thursday at OAKA, and, if necessary, next Sunday in Piraeus.

Giorgos Bartzokas didn't have much to say about the contest itself in his introductory remarks at the post-game presser. However, Olympiacos' head coach was very talkative touching on the toxic atmosphere surrounding the Greek derbies.

Last Thursday, as soon as the Greek tactician stepped onto the OAKA court before the start of Game 2, he became the target of a verbal attack by a Panathinaikos fan, who followed him into the court before security intervened.

But the hostility didn't end there. The atmosphere inside the arena turned physical when some Panathinaikos supporters resorted to throwing yogurt and water at the Olympiacos delegation.

The tensions between the two clubs had already escalated prior to Game 1, where Olympiacos fans launched a violent attack on Panathinaikos players using rocks, flares, and Molotov cocktails.

The day following Game 2, Panathinaikos guard Paris Leeposted an Instagram story where he shared a threat he received from one of Olympiacos fans who said the player should get ready for rocks thrown at him the next time.

"Rocks to my head? Dam[n,] we win 1 game and I'm gettin[g] all types of crazy threats," Lee wrote.

Bartzokas himself didn't do much to appease the tension when he appeared on Greek public TV after Game 1, arguing that Panathinaikos "are content with [just] putting on a fight in every game".

According to BasketNews information, that quote was conveyed to the Greens' locker room by PAO team manager Savvas Aronis and, as one would expect, it didn't go down well; nor was it perceived as particularly flattering by the team's players and staff.

Credit Vangelis Stolis

"A picture was created by the media, even by people from Panathinaikos, of things I said and which they were saying as well," Bartzokas commented in the presser.

"Winning the Greek championship is never easy. They play with a lot less pressure than us, that's a fact. The media and social media create certain situations and conditions," he continued.

The coach of the EuroLeague finalists pointed out that he doesn't wish to be in the spotlight, but added that he's sometimes the protagonist of media stories that describe him as the villain.

"For some reason, I'm the main target of rival propaganda," he said. "I'm getting moral lessons from people who act in the background. They wag their finger at me and I respect that. Everybody has to make a living and feed their families," he conceded.

However, Bartzokas went on to say that some people do get affected by what's being written about him in the Greek media.

"I have a lot of friends, childhood friends, who are also Panathinaikos' fans. Those are the ones whose opinions I care about, they know that I'm not arrogant. That's how our rivals are calling me, while I simply used statements made by my opponents," the Greek coach justified himself.

But Bartzokas went further, essentially accusing of hypocrisy the very persons who are painting him in a bad light. The Greek tactician wondered how is it possible that people from the PAO camp or PAO-affiliated media choose to take a jab both at him and at almost every member of Greens' roster and staff.

"Those who are wagging their finger at me are the same people who have deconstructed their coaches, their technical advisor, their players, claiming that their current team is the worst they've had in 30 years -- which I don't agree with at all," the back-to-back EuroLeague COTY stressed.

"[Dejan] Radonjic is a good coach and [Argyris] Pedoulakis has had a respectable run," Bartzokas commented on Panathinaikos' ex-coach and former technical director, respectively.

Credit Vangelis Stolis

"And their players are good too," he added. "I clearly didn't want to offend Panathinaikos when I said that they look happy if they put on a competitive face and I did say this would be a very difficult series. Each time, they isolate one phrase to create a certain type of atmosphere," Olympiacos' play-caller pointed out.

Referring to how the series is likely to pan out in the game(s) to come, Bartzokas stayed low-key.

"If we play our game, we have a serious chance of winning. We know it won't be easy, I don't want to make any more statements because the system is ready to distort what I say. I always respect Panathinaikos, you can ask everyone one by one if I have shown an image of arrogance. If that's the game to be played, I respect that too. Everyone does their job," he repeated.

Credit Vangelis Stolis; Instagra/_plee1

Olympiacos have faced penalties from the Greek League's sports judge following a series of violent incidents prior to Game 1. As a result, the Reds will be forced to play one game without spectators as part of the punishment.

According to the league rules, this sanction will only be enforced if a Game 5 is required in the 2023 Greek League Finals or in the first game of the upcoming season. Furthermore, Olympiacos have been fined a total of 3,000 euros.

The club has appealed the decision and the verdict is expected to be announced Monday (June 12).

Bartzokas was asked about fans' behavior in the Greek arenas, as opposed to Turkey where - despite the tensions - no major incident took place.

"In Turkey, there's no problem in terms of the safety of athletes and coaches," Bartzokas argued. "The situation is under control in Serbia too. If you're asking me if that's a nice way to do your job, it's not. Over the last month or two, the situation has intensified again very much," he admitted.

"If you ask me, I'd like an atmosphere like the one in Western Europe, where games are played and won by the best team and clubs don't wage war against each other using announcements, propaganda, and pressure on referees. Nor are they targeting people.

I'm not surprised by anything because I know my job. The ideal scenario is to see 12 against 12 and let the best team win," he concluded.

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