Alimpijevic: "I feel sorry for my players"

Beşiktaş head coach Dusan Alimpijevic held a press conference at the Turkcell Basketbol Gelişim Merkezi after the game against Olympiakos. The Serbian coach praised the atmosphere created by the black-and-white fans and said his team had put on a good showing in Istanbul.

Alimpijevic said his players gave maximum effort against reigning champions Olympiakos and refused to lose. The coach, who said both teams deserved to win, explained that five important players were missing and that they lost one more player during the game. Due to foul trouble, the team was forced to play with six or seven players.

Alimpijevic noted that the mistakes made with the score tied at 68-68 decided the game, and he admitted the errors in the final period. Saying that his injury list was the longest in the EuroLeague, the coach stressed that the physical injuries put the team under strain.

Olympiakos head coach Georgios Bartzokas said his team had earned a critical win on the road. Bartzokas considered it important that his side recorded 26 assists despite missing players, and he also congratulated Alimpijevic's team on the fight it showed.

Asked about the match-fixing, bribery and illegal betting investigations in Greek basketball, Bartzokas replied that legal proceedings are ongoing. The coach said decisions would be made by the legal authorities and added that he and his team want to focus on basketball.