Gilas out to finish strong against Kiwis
Still reeling from a stunning loss from three nights ago, Gilas Pilipinas braces for an even tougher challenge it battles a New Zealand team itching for payback on Sunday as both end the third and final window of the Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers.
National coach Tim Cone swiftly put the 91-84 loss to host Chinese Taipei last Thursday night behind, rallying his charges to go out with a bang against the Tall Blacks in a return match at Spark Arena in Auckland slated 10 a.m. (Manila time).
“It was really disappointing, but there’s not much we can do about it at this point,” Cone said. “We got to finish this trip and try to finish it strong. We’re going to play a tougher New Zealand team, so somehow we’re going to have to figure out a way to put all this behind us and move forward.
“Our hope is that we got something out of (the loss), and it’s going to help us in the big picture.”
The Philippine contingent landed in The Land of the Long White Cloud on Saturday with a narrow window to prime and plot for the grudge match.
A win will break their 4-1 tie for the Group B lead, with the victor ultimately getting a favorable draw in the continental meet in Jeddah in August.
Returning NZ vets
The Kiwis will be stronger this time, with some program fixtures returning. Jordan Ngatai, Reuben Te, and Tohi Smith-Milner are some of the battle-hardened Tall Blacks, who have returned after missing the Tall Blacks’ last games in November.
New Zealand is also hoping to keep the Philippines from spoiling what is set to be a milestone game for skipper and longtime cornerstone Corey Webster, who is set to play his 100th national team game.
“Teams are now going to come out and play their best game against us,” said naturalized ace Justin Brownlee, framing the program’s first major setback after notching milestones and pulling off stunners on the global stage over the past year.
“We’ve had a lot of recent success, so teams know about that,” Brownlee said. “They’re just going to come and put their best game and be very excited to play us. We just got to be ready for it.”
Dwight Ramos agrees with Brownlee, adding that the loss will only make the squad—assembled with the next World Cup and, hopefully, the Los Angeles Olympics in mind—better.
“We were winning a lot of games before and now we’re starting to lose, so it’s humbling for us,” Ramos said. “It’s not too good when you win too much. You get complacent, so it’s good that we got humbled, and then before the Asia Cup, we’ll know we’ve got to prepare harder than this.”
