Talking at the press conference following the 1st Basket League OPAP final against Olympiacos, Fragkiskos Alvertis spoke about getting the trophy and he expressed his question about the fact that OAKA was not full.
"It was a classic first final of a series full of pressure and stress for both teams. It's ordinary for a team to build a lead and then to see the gap closing. Then you have to be mentally and physically ready to react. We managed to take a big lead twice, but we weren't able to make it to a clear lead to the end of the game. Olympiacos got to us they took the lead in a crucial turn of the encounter, but at the end we got what we wanted. Turnovers are part of the game. The thing is not to repeat them. You may commit the same turnovers, but not the same. Three point shooting is definitely an area we have to improve. All analysis ends here. The finals' series is being hosted now at SEF and we have to prepare ourselves accordingly".
When asked about the empty sits at OAKA, he was crystal clear: "I have never seen something like this in OAKA. I don't know why today in a derby which means a lot, we didn't see the number of fans we expected to see. Team tries to give its best. Our goal is the title and we will "die" in the court in order to achieve it. We wish to thank the fans who came today and helped the team seal the first victory".
Speaking about the low percentage behind the arc (1/20), Alvertis stated: "You can bet on it. You may be sharp, you may lose a lot of shots... Some shots were clear, some others were not so clear, made in a rush. We could have been more on the target".
Finally, he referred to the turnovers: "Turnovers is not what you see on the stats. There are some shots you shouldn't have done. It's some plays when you find yourself driven by the rush of the flow on the game. Through these turnovers you give your opponent the opportunity to score an easy basket. We have to be more careful".
Jonas Maciulis was there to speak on behalf of Panathinaikos' players: "It was a tough game. We got very well into the game, but we loosen up. Olympiacos is a very good team. You cannot do this against such an opponent. That's why they made their come back. Luckily we were the ones to seal the victory. I hope that the next time more fans will be here next to us".
Giorgos Bartzokas (coach, Olympiacos) stated: "We would like to target three different things. The first one is how the game began. We hesitated and we were timid. Basically we appeared as if we weren't ready for such a game. The second point has to do with our performance until the last minute. We improved our defense changing our tactics. During the last minute we made four turnovers two defensive and two offensive. So, in a game where we had the momentum, we made four turnovers and we lost. Congratulations to Panathinaikos for the victory. Now we are heading to our home court for the second game. It's our job to analyze the game and be back at OAKA".
Regarding the fact that OAKA arena was not full, Olympiacos' coach stated: "These games brings pressure for the result, affecting the players' decision. I don't care if today there were 10.000 or 20.000 fans on the stands. It's always difficult to win a game here. The fact that we missed a chance to win, had to do with the way we played. We tried not to let Panathinaikos shoot. If somebody told based on the way the game evolved that we would be +1 at 39', I would believe in this choice. It has to do with the way you play in offense for your defense and vice versa. Basketball has no just offensive or defensive players. All players must do both".
Regarding the mistakes his team made during the last minute of the game he stated: "We made a double defensive mistake, with Panathinaikos' offense at 4''. Perperoglou made a mistake in offense, while Dunston didn't go to help in defense on Maciulis and then Stratos Perperoglou made a second mistake. Every mistake is important. On the other hand we missed a lot of free throws in a close game this difference is important".
Finally when asked about Vaggelis Mantzaris he replied: "The coaches' job is to encourage their players. Some of them may be in a good day, some others no. Of course it's something we take under consideration, but we don't point fingers. Our job and his job is to prepare himself for the next game".
Mardy Collins (player, Olympiacos), stated: "It was a tough game. We got into the game really bad. I don't know why this happened. But we fought back, we struggled and we did our best to get the win. We stopped Panathinaikos, but we made a lot of mistakes in defense and offense, mistakes we have to correct heading for the second game".
