Giorgos Bartzokas has seen his share of Final-4 drama during his career, having three appearances in the final phase of the EuroLeague. In his first stint as Olympiacos leader in the bench, the veteran coach helped the Reds retain the title (2013) after winning it during the 2011-12 season.
At times, Olympiacos produced amazing basketball during his first stint, as he beat CSKA Moscow and Real Madrid at the 2013 Final Four in London. Bartzokas returned to the Final-4 three years later with another exciting squad of players featuring Malcolm Delaney, Chris Singleton and Anthony Randolph.
Back at #F4GLORY Let's check out @olympiacosbc successes at Final Four 🏆 Confident ahead of Belgrade, Olympiacos fans? #EveryGameMatters pic.twitter.com/WOwCqQFt8w — Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 14, 2022
In his second stint with Olympiacos, Bartzokas has already succeeded in transitioning from the Vassilis Spanoulis era and re-establishing the Reds’ identity as a team, which can compete in the higher level. As a result, Olympiacos made its first Final-4 appearance in five year after beating AS Monaco in a best-of-five series.
The Greek giants were Top-5 in offense this season shooting an excellent 58 percent on 2-pointers, while they were one of the best defenses in the league. They kept their opponents under 70 points in 14 games during the regular season. More importantly, they show that can go on a scoring battle with anybody, beating the best EuroLeague offense in the quarter finals.
The Reds scored more than 75 points in the last three games of the series vs Monaco beating the Roca team in its own game. Bartzokas made that happened by allowing the team to ride a free-flow offense and run in the open court. The Greek giants were Top-5 in two-point, three-point attempts and assists per game.
Bartzokas will have the chance to add another great achievement as a head coach if Olympiacos win it all in Belgrade. The Reds started the season with the expectation of making the playoffs, however, they ended up with the second-best record in the standings through 34 games.
In Belgrade, Olympiacos will face Ergin Ataman in a battle of two very similar coaches regarding their approach to the game and their team’s offensive production. If Bartzokas wins it all in Belgrade, he’ll become the second Olympiacos head coach to have two EuroLeague titles, along with the late Dusan Ivkovic.
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