Bartzokas: It's 5 games in 7 days. For me, that's not normal.

Just a few hours after winning the Super Cup, Olympiacos traveled to Kaunas, where they will face Zalgiris tonight (19:00 CET) in the second round of the EuroLeague. Newly signed Bryant Dunston, along with head coach Georgios Bartzokas (agency: Stanislav Ryzhov ), spoke to the media at the airport about the upcoming challenge.

Georgios Bartzokas (agency: Stanislav Ryzhov ) commented the following: “It's a difficult process. We played on Sunday and the day before, and now we play again on Tuesday in a venue that is not easy at all. They are a team that is competing for a playoff spot. We need to play a good game. If we don't play well, I believe we will have a very difficult time.”

Regarding Olympiacos' demanding schedule, the Reds' coach said: “It's 5 games in 7 days. For me, that's not normal. At this point, it's more of a gamble. We'll see how ready we are. We haven't had any practice at this point. We'll have a shootaround, show some video and play the game on Tuesday. That's the situation.”

On the signing of Dunston, Georgios Bartzokas (agency: Stanislav Ryzhov ) said: “He was practicing with us and he is in very good shape. He is here so that we are safe in numbers, because you need players, as players cannot play so many consecutive games. We believe that, apart from his obvious quality as a player, which has been proven over all these years, he is also a particularly important presence in the locker room. The way he approaches things is very interesting, and I think he will help us a lot both in the locker room and on the court.”

Regarding whether Milutinov will play in the next two games, the Olympiacos coach stated: “I don't think so. Milutinov has tendinitis that has been bothering him, and the medical team decided that he should undergo treatment and strengthening in order to fully overcome the injury. He was playing through pain and couldn't perform the way he should.”

Bryant Dunston initially spoke about his return to Olympiacos, explaining: “It wasn't planned. I started preseason with the team. I stayed in shape, and whatever opportunity I had, I wanted to take it and help. I want to bring energy and experience, connect the guys in the locker room, be an extra voice from the bench for the others, and help on the court as well. I want to be someone who helps simply through his presence. I'm excited about the team we have. There's a lot of talent and players with great potential. It's a great feeling to be part of this team. It's going to be an exciting season. I just want to get out on the court, play and enjoy it. That's what's on my mind. I'm not thinking about what people say about age. I'm blessed to be able to play basketball again, and I want to thank Olympiacos for giving me this opportunity.”

On Zalgiris, the new Olympiacos' player added: "Zalgiris is a team with talented players who set the pace on the court and fight for every possession. They're a hungry team and they play very aggressively at home. It will be difficult, but we have to do the little things that Olympiacos does.”