FIBA Asia: Gilas 2 stumbles out of the Finals

There was just nothing
even The Boss could do versus Iran

Following this afternoon's painful 77-60 defeat to the bigger, stronger, highly skilled and cohesive Iranian side, Team Pilipinas will have to make do and salvage third place in the FIBA Asia Cup.

That being said, don't cry for Coach Chot Reyes or any of our proud, fighting patriots who did all they could until they met a team that was just too well-prepared and seasoned to lose on its way to the big stage. There's no shame in losing, definitely not when you're coming off a successful Jones Cup tournament and was able to regain some sense of basketball respectability all across Asia.

In today's match, the outcome was pretty obvious right from the get go. We started slow, lethargic and hesitant. Our vaunted "dribble drive" offense has been exposed as a ploy to increase offensive possessions through hustle plays and rebounding. Iran did an awesome job protecting the ball and getting into their sweet spots on the floor for gimmes. We did an awful job in taking them out of there and played right into their hands.


To add even more damage, Jeffrei Chan (5 points) and Gary David (2) suffered another cold shooting stretch that couldn't have come at a worse time. This pretty much sealed the deal for Iran, with them not having to worry about our snipers and concentrating their defense on Marcus Douthit (11) down low.

Coach Chot also made a gamble based on what he knew by going with Sonny Thoss as his third big man and just playing the 6"7 Fil-Swiss in rotation with Douthit and Ranidel de Ocampo. It didn't take long before all three were in foul trouble and come the 4th quarter, either fouled out or had to be sent to the bench.

He could've gone with Enrico Villanueva or JayR Reyes mid quarters when the game was painfully slow and tight. Those are an extra set of fouls that were simply wasted. Also, the absence of another shooter like Garvo Lanete (who was cut from the final 12) could've given us something when Chan, David and Larry Fonacier were not.

Big picture wise, we now have an idea on how teams will approach this "dribble drive" ploy of ours. Extend the defense come the second half (when players start to tire out-- specially our guys who were pushing the pace in the 1st), not be disillusioned and engage Pilipinas in a fastbreakin', gunslingin' match. Plus, rotate your bigs no matter the situation or what your "instincts" tell you. Five fouls is still five fouls. For such an intense, high-octane style of play, you can't just plug in three bigs while all of your guards take care of the rest.

Silver lining is that we should get better once Jayson Castro and Kelly Williams come in come FIBA Asia Championships Cup. Maybe even a James Yap/ Marc Pingris/ June Mar Fajardo Team SMC sighting?

Be proud Pilipinas, as we all are!

Laban!