Giorgos Bartzokas and Chus Mateo shared their thoughts on the epic finale of the EuroLeague Championship Game between Olympiacos and Real Madrid and Sergio Llull’s game winner that handed the “Whites” the victory and the title (78-79).
Upon the “Reds” arrival in Athens, coach Giorgos Bartzokas expressed his disappointment for the outcome of the game and called it ‘one of the worst moments of his career’, but made it clear he was very proud of his players and the way they played.
“I have been through such situations. Although I can admit that yesterday was one of the worst if not the worst [loss]. We created these expectations ourselves. The higher the group goes, the more intense the emotions, both negative and positive, get.”
“Feeling is really painful. We feel sad about ourselves, our fans. They came here and gave us huge support. We lost against a buzzer-beater. Even the last year, we lost in the semifinal against Micic’s buzzer-beater. It’s really painful. It’s basketball, but you know, it was twice against us.”
Olympiacos were dominant in the regular season, finishing on top, and eliminated Fenerbahce in the playoffs. However, just like the 2022 semi-final vs Anadolu Efes and the buzzer-beating three-pointer by Vasilije Micic, a last-minute winning shot cost them the championship.
On the other hand, Chus Mateo led Real Madrid to the EuroLeague title in his first season as head coach, while he was very excited and proud of what his team accomplished
“We never retreat. Everybody was ready to react. When problems came, we reacted. It was good to see how the players all joined together. It’s unbelievable what we did. It was a very tough season, but with a very happy ending,” Chus Mateo initially said.
“If there was someone who had to take that shot, it was Sergio. He made a basket that gave us glory. We have world-class players, but no one could handle the situation like him. I am very happy for him because he deserved it more than anyone.”
“I am still not fully aware of what we achieved. I have supported Real Madrid since a little kid and I have a deep understanding of the team’s values. I know we achieved something huge.”
Chus Mateo and Real Madrid survived five elimination games, an 0-2 deficit to Partizan, Guerschon Yabusele’s suspension and injuries to Gabriel Deck and Vincent Poirier and went on to win the championship for the first time since 2018.
