Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos: 'Playing like this is so much fun'

Regular Season

Round 25 of 34

game Olympiacos Piraeus vs Valencia Basket

Regular Season

Valencia BasketVBC

8592

Olympiacos PiraeusOLY

Overview

Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos Piraeus head coach

“The third quarter was amazing, [both] defensively and offensively. We completely changed our approach. We became fighters like we always do. I consider this win one of the most important victories of the season. Everybody did their job and fulfilled their roles in the third quarter; we found whatever we could in transition, and through defense we found our rhythm on offense.

“I consider this win one of the most important of the season, basically because we came off the Greek Cup where we had three games in three days. In the early stages of the game we were in a bit of a celebration mood, while Valencia was ready to play with huge motivation right from the start. They played with more energy, more motivation and more desire than us; they shot the ball really well in the beginning and that’s why we were 10 points down in the first half.

"Our third quarter was amazing, we completely changed our approach. We were motivated to play defense, and through our defense we found rhythm on offense. We had 10 more possessions through our rebounding and 25 assists, which is a huge number. Congratulations to Valencia, congratulations to my team. We’ll keep on going with the same approach.

(Asked if he believed both teams could make the Top 8 at the end of the regular season): “For us, for sure I believe. That’s why I am here. As for Valencia, I consider them a strong contender for the Top 8. When you have two wins against other contenders, it’s always important and they have two against Efes, for example. Valencia is a team with a good basketball IQ based on the very experienced players they have. They have aggressive guards and I don’t forget that we lost the first game against them in Piraeus, so they are definitely strong contenders.”

(On whether Vezenkov will stay with Olympiacos next season amid reported interest from the Sacramento Kings): “We are in the middle of the season, we are first in the ranking in the EuroLeague and the domestic league. Honestly, I don’t care what they say from the NBA. Sasha has a contract with us, he also has an option for the NBA, we will sit after the season ends and discuss. I don’t know if he is going to get the offer from them, but right now I care about our team and Sasha is one of the most important players of our team. So, let’s focus on this. We have this fantastic player, of course we want him desperately and I don’t believe this is the right time for any player to discuss what he is going to do next season. The season is in front of us, we have a lot of goals.”

Alex Mumbru, Valencia Basket head coach

“We didn’t play good defense in the third quarter. They easily scored 30 points in one quarter and that was just too much for us.

“It was a game of two very different halves. In the first half, we dominated and missed some shots which could have made the gap bigger. They came back in the third quarter with very good defense and we didn’t play defense at the required level. They scored some easy baskets and that gave them confidence. We missed some shots we needed to make to stay in the game and then it was impossible for us to make a comeback.”

Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos Piraeus guard

“We haven’t been in this situation too often this season, but [Isaiah] Canaan said at halftime: ‘Hey man, there’s nothing wrong with being down. Now we'll show our true face and what we are made of.’ To be honest, playing basketball like this is so much fun: when you’re suffering and sacrificing everything for each other, playing great defense. The second half was one of the most fun halves we’ve played all season.

(On his 13-point third quarter performance when he put on a one-man show to rescue his team): “I wouldn’t put it like that, the whole unit was out there. Moustapha Fall scored just a few points tonight, but he played great. Even the guys who weren’t scoring tonight… Everybody played a great game.”

Kostas Papanikolaou, Olympiacos Piraeus forward

“What matters most is the win. This is what will make us happy at the end of the season, if we keep winning and put ourselves in a great position. It was a very tough game, a very tough crowd; they know how to play their basketball.

(Commenting Olympiacos now on seven wins out of seven at Valencia): “I didn’t know that. Personally I love playing here, I have great memories of playing here. If you win the memories are better, but like I said before, it’s a great place to play. The fans here know how to create a great atmosphere.”