27th FIBA Asia Championship [Manila, Philippines, Aug 1-11]

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Chot Reyes takes blame for Gilas Pilipinas collapse against Chinese Taipei
Mikkel Bolante, InterAKTV · Saturday, August 3, 2013 · 11:05 pm
InterAKTV/Roy Afable

InterAKTV/Roy Afable

After a blistering third quarter riding on the hot shooting hands of Larry Fonacier, the Philippine national men’s basketball team looked well on its way to victory on Saturday against Chinese Taipei.

But Gilas Pilipinas suffered a collapse, allowing the Taiwanese to rally back in the final period to take the victory.

Chinese Taipei started the fourth quarter on a 17-4 run. Overall, Gilas lost the fourth quarter, 29-11, squandering the momentum it built in the second and third periods.

Philippine coach Chot Reyes took all the blame for the defeat.

“I should’ve done a better job rotating the players and pacing the players,” said Reyes. Notably, Chinese Taipei made its fourth quarter run with Gilas’ best performers — Fonacier, Marcus Douthit, and Ranidel De Ocampo — sitting on the bench.

Reyes said Gilas’ comeback from a hot Chinese Taipei start — the Taiwanese took a 30-19 lead after the first period — ended up burning out the Philippines.

“We spent a lot of energy in our chase. And we didn’t have anything left in the end.”

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Gilas Pilipinas captain Jimmy Alapag unfazed by possibility of early KO match vs China
Rey Joble, InterAKTV · Sunday, August 4, 2013 · 1:52 am
FIBA Asia/Nuki Sabio


FIBA Asia/Nuki Sabio

With the Philippine national men’s basketball team suffering its first loss in the preliminary round of the FIBA Asia Championship on Saturday, observers have noted the looming possibility of being paired with defending champion China in the knockout quarterfinals.

Though China has struggled with early losses to South Korea and Iran, the idea of facing the traditional Asian powerhouse in a win-or-go-home battle is a daunting prospect.

“One of the things that’s scary, let’s say we fell to No. 2 and China fell to No. 3 at the end of the group stage matches,” said Alaska assistant coach Alex Compton, who has been part of the international broadcast of the tournament.

“They’re beatable, but you don’t eagerly match up with China.”

But Gilas Pilipinas team captain Jimmy Alapag is unfazed by the possibility of facing China — or any other powerhouse team for that matter.

“You know at this point, you need to cross paths with those teams one way or another either in the finals or quarterfinals or the semis. So it’s going to be important for us to stay together and improve our game,” said Alapag.

The Philippines will still play matches against Japan, Qatar, and Hong Kong before moving into the knockout phase of the tournament.

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Crowd at Gilas Pilipinas-Chinese Taipei game ‘one of largest and loudest’ in FIBA Asia history

InterAKTV · Sunday, August 4, 2013 · 2:30 am
Sports5 file/Paul Mata


Sports5 file/Paul Mata

The FIBA Asia Championship drew some 19,386 people on Saturday night at the Mall of Asia Arena, with most of those fans pulling for the Philippine national men’s basketball team against Chinese Taipei.

According to the tournament’s official website, the crowd was “undoubtedly one of the largest and loudest seen in FIBA Asia Championship.”

Despite the highly-partisan Filipino crowd, Chinese Taipei pulled out an 84-79 triumph after its sharpshooters nailed key baskets from long range late in the match.

Leading the charge was Lu Cheng-Ju, who hit three three-pointers in the final quarter to shoot Chinese Taipei to victory.

“We kind of switched off mentally even as we entered the court,” said Lu, whose squad got off to a hot start, finishing the first quarter on top, 30-19, despite the hostile reception from the fans.

The rangy forward, however, admitted being affected as the match went on.

“It was certainly unnerving at times,” said Lu, whose team fell behind by as much as 13 points in the third period, “but we kept telling ourselves to remain in the game.”

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Qatar wary of quicker teams Chinese Taipei, Gilas Pilipinas in FIBA Asia second round
Mikkel Bolante, InterAKTV · Sunday, August 4, 2013 · 1:06 pm
FIBA Asia/Nuki Sabio



FIBA Asia/Nuki Sabio

Qatar wrapped up the preliminary round of the FIBA Asia Championship with a 23-point whipping of Hong Kong on Saturday that gave them a clean 2-0 record.

But despite the lopsided result, Qatar coach Tom Wisman felt that the Hong Kong game exposed some weaknesses in his squad.

“We’re not the quickest team in the tournament. We need to learn to play quicker teams and teams that can shoot from the outside and teams that can create,” said Wisman.

In Group E in the second round, Qatar will play the Philippines and Chinese Taipei, two teams that rely mainly on dribble-penetration and outside shooting. Both squads feature cat-quick guards that could cause problems for Wisman’s players.

Hong Kong sharpshooter Chan Siu Wing burned the nets against Qatar, hitting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Perimeter defense remains a big concern for Wisman.

“That’s our challenge in the second round. Defensively, we need to get our help and rotations and be able to contend with good shooting teams.”

Qatar will have some more time to adjust as it battles a slower team in Jordan to begin its second round campaign on Monday, before taking on Gilas Pilipinas on Tuesday and Chinese Taipei on Wednesday.

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Iran and China can be beaten by Gilas, says former Jordan coach Baldwin

By Richard Dy


August 04, 2013, 06:51 pm
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Tab Baldwin was the architect of Jordan's 88-84 quarterfinal victory over Iran in the 2011 Fiba-Asia tournament in Wuhan, China that put an end to the Iranians' drive for a third straight Asian basketball title. Jerome Ascano   Tab Baldwin was the architect of Jordan's 88-84 quarterfinal victory over Iran in the 2011 Fiba-Asia tournament in Wuhan, China that put an end to the Iranians' drive for a third straight Asian basketball title. Jerome Ascano

AS Gilas Pilipinas faces the prospects of facing both China and Iran in the knockout rounds of the Fiba-Asia championships following the loss to Chinese Taipei on Saturday, former Jordan national coach Tab Baldwin insists all is not lost for the host country.

Baldwin, having seen both China and Iran play in the first round of the preliminaries, is convinced the two Asian giants are not unbeatable as most people may think.

Baldwin, of course, knows whereof he speaks.

The American coach was the architect of Jordan's 88-84 quarterfinal victory over Iran in the 2011 Fiba-Asia tournament in Wuhan, China that put an end to the West Asian powerhouse team’s drive for a third straight Asian basketball title.

This same Baldwin-coached team also booted out Gilas, then mentored by Rajko Toroman, in the semifinals via a 75-61 win, before taking the Chinese all the way to the wire before losing, 70-69, in the final.

“Iran and China, they are the class of the Asian region, but they not unbeatable as we have proven a few years ago with Jordan beating Iran and losing by one point to China on their (own) court,” said the 55-year-old Baldwin, who is in Manila to help out Gilas coach Chot Reyes.

"These teams are beatable," he insisted.

After a 79-84 defeat to Taipei at the end of its group-stage campaign, Gilas is in line to meet defending champion China in the knockout quarterfinals and, assuming the hosts get past that, Iran in the semis. (For full story, see Gilas fallout from Taipei loss: a likely quarters clash with China and a semis duel with Iran)

Unlike the United States which has reigned supreme in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics in Beijing and London, respectively, China and Iran have their own weaknesses, Baldwin said.

“This is not like a zone like the USA can dominate. It’s not like that. They (Chinese and Iranians) are the favorites, but they can be beaten, especially by a Filipino team on a Filipino court,” added the Jacksonville, Florida native, who has also coached New Zealand's national team.

Baldwin is expected to stay for the duration of the Fiba-Asia men’s tournament, which runs until August 11 as he helps Gilas in scouting and other vital aspects of its pre-game preparations.

Gilas defeated Baldwin’s Hawke’s Bay Hawks two straight times during its 10-day trip to New Zealand three weeks ago as part of its preparation for the Fiba-Asia tournament, where the top three teams will earn slots in next year’s World Championship.

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 Philippines vs. Jordan

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AceTbeVcVZg#


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Nothing personal with 'landmark' Taipei win over Gilas, insists Taiwanese journo

By Gerry Ramos


August 04, 2013, 07:50 pm
47
 

A veteran Taiwanese sportswriter pointed out that the win was long in coming as the Philippines had been beating Taipei for years now, the last of which came during last year’s William Jones Cup. Jerome Ascano     A veteran Taiwanese sportswriter pointed out that the win was long in coming as the Philippines had been beating Taipei for years now, the last of which came during last year’s William Jones Cup. Jerome Ascano 

CHINESE-Taipei's come-from-behind win over Gilas Pilipinas is not personal to its people, although the victory did thrill the team and its fans back home.

Chen Chih-hung of the Youth Daily News, one of seven Taiwanese sports reporters sent to Manila to cover the 27th Fiba-Asia championships, said the 84-79 win Taipei pulled off in front of a mammoth crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena Saturday night was a landmark episode in the history of its basketball team.

And it has something to do with the diplomatic tension between the Philippine and Taipei governments, he added.

No, no, no,” Chen said emphatically, trying to play down whatever emotions were involved in the highly charged match.

The veteran sportswriter pointed out the win was long in coming as the Philippines had been dominating Chinese-Taipei for years now, the last of which came during last year’s William Jones Cup basketball tournament.

“Taiwanese people are excited with the win, but it's because Taipei has not won over the Philippines for many years,” said Chen, the man they referred to as `Mr. Monkey’ back in Taipei.

That the Taiwanese did the feat in front of an animated Filipino basketball fans made it more satisfying.

“We know how passionate Filipinos are for basketball,” he added.

Chen has seen how good a team Gilas Pilipinas is, having covered the 2012 Jones Cup which the Filipinos won.

He’s been familiar with players such as Marcus Douthit, Jeff Chan, Gabe Norwood, and LA Tenorio, who he referred to as 'MVP,' the national team point guard having emerged as the Most Valuable Player of the Taipei tournament last year.

Unfortunately, Gilas Pilipinas failed to defend its title as organizers of the tournament revoked its earlier invitation to the national team, saying it could not guarantee the security of the visitors in light of the diplomatic dispute arising from the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman off the shores of Batanes.

Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes acknowledged shortly after the game how the team had wanted to win over Chinese-Taipei in honor of the thousands of Overseas Contract Workers (OCWs) in Taiwan.

“Allow me to apologize to our countrymen in Taiwan and for our OFWs. We really wanted to win the game for them because I know that they have been victims of a lot of abuse. We really dedicated the game to them,” said Reyes.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out the way we wanted.”

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Taipei defeat a wake-up call, say Gilas star guards


By Richard Dy

August 04, 2013, 07:22 pm
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Backcourt mates Jayson Castro, left, and Jimmy Alapag believe Gilas can still bounce back from the heartbreaking loss to Taipei. Jerome Ascano   Backcourt mates Jayson Castro, left, and Jimmy Alapag believe Gilas can still bounce back from the heartbreaking loss to Taipei. Jerome Ascano

GILAS Pilipinas guard Jayson Castro said the loss to the hard-fighting Taiwanese taught them a lesson in terms of complacency.

Up by double digits in the final frame, Gilas slipped as Chinese Taipei fought hard to snatch an 84-79 win before a stunned crowd Saturday night at the Mall of Asia Arena and deny the hosts a perfect record in the group stage.

“Lesson learned na lang itong nangyari sa amin. Up by 13, panalo na sana kami at sabi nga ni coach huwag muna mag-celebrate,” said the cat-quick Castro, who has been a revelation for Gilas in the tournament with his blinding speed and outside shooting.

“Sobrang flat kasi fourth quarter namin. Then, we’re not communicating on defense na naman. Parang yun ang naging habit namin eh. Parang relax na kami eh, kaya wake up call ito sa amin na di kami pwede mag-relax,” he added.

Still, Castro and backcourt mate Jimmy Alapag remain optimistic Gilas could bounce back.

“Anytime a team hits 15 threes, it’s tough to beat a team that shoots that well. But the guys fought hard. Yet, like (Gilas) coach (Chot Reyes) said, this tournament is not a sprint but a marathon,” Alapag told a handful of reporters after the game.

“We had to stay together and get ready for the next round.”

Castro said Gilas (2-1) enters the next phase with a mindset of winning all three of its games as it prepares for the more challenging quarterfinal round.

“Must-win itong three games namin (in the second round). Kailangan naming ipanalo talaga. Kailangan naming siguraduhing pagbubutihin namin lahat ng games sa second round,” said a determined Castro.

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A little physicality could've gone long way for Gilas in Taipei game, says Belga

By Gerry Ramos


August 04, 2013, 07:25 pm
93
 

“Hindi na sana natin pinaporma,” says final Gilas cut Beau Belga. “I mean sa PBA nga banggaan ang labanan natin, pero after the game, okay na uli `yung mga players, minsan magkakasama-sama pa nga e.   “Hindi na sana natin pinaporma,” says final Gilas cut Beau Belga. “I mean sa PBA nga banggaan ang labanan natin, pero after the game, okay na uli `yung mga players, minsan magkakasama-sama pa nga e." Jerome Ascano

AS the lone alternate in the Gilas Pilipinas lineup, Beau Belga could only sit in frustration as the team’s fourth-quarter meltdown unfolded before him, resulting in a heartbreaking loss to Chinese-Taipei in the 27th Fiba-Asia Men’s Championship.

And very typical of him, the burly big man known for his grit - often bordering on roughness - on defense observed the team was lacking in toughness and intimidation.

“Gigil nga ako. Sumisigaw na ako behind the bench na banggaan na dapat ang labanan,” said the Rain or Shine stalwart when Spin.ph caught up with him during a late Saturday dinner at the Mall of Asia.

Belga believes the opposition’s platoon of shooters led by Lu Cheng-ju, could not have built momentum and gained confidence had the Gilas defenders decided to play them a little bit physical in the end.

Of course, not exactly to the point of hurting them on purpose.

“Konting physical, konting banggaan lang. Yung No. 7 (Lei Tien), tsaka No. 12 (Chih-Chieh Lin) ang pumatay sa atin, e,” said Belga, who was the last man cut by coach Chot Reyes in the 12-man Gilas roster.

Lu, Tien, and Lin combined for 60 of Chinese-Taipei’s 84 points, including 13 of the team’s total of 15 three-pointers.

“Hindi na sana natin pinaporma,” said Belga. “I mean sa PBA nga banggaan ang labanan natin, pero after the game, okay na uli `yung mga players, minsan magkakasama-sama pa nga e.

“Ito after the game, kelan ba natin ulit sila (Chinese-Taipei) makakalaban? Baka after two years na, di ba? So hindi naman siguro makaka-apekto kung nakipag-banggaan tayo sa kanila,” said the former Philippine Christian University stalwart.

Besides, Belga pointed out the crowd will always be at the side of Gilas come hell or high water.

“Yung crowd na lang malaking bagay na yun,” he said of the 19,638 fans who packed the Mall of Asia Arena and rained a chorus of boos every time the Chinese-Taipei team was on the offensive.

Although the qualifying tournament to the World Basketball Championship in Spain has yet to reach its halfway mark, Belga hopes Gilas Pilipinas will finally learn to play with toughness the rest of the way before it is too late. 

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 game tonight
 Philippines vs. Japan
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Gilas Pilipinas bounces back strong with impressive beatdown of Japan
InterAKTV · Monday, August 5, 2013 · 10:10 pm
FIBA Asia/Nuki Sabio


FIBA Asia/Nuki Sabio

The Philippine national men’s basketball team played its best basketball of the FIBA Asia Championship so far, posting an impressive 90-71 beatdown of Japan on Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Coming off a heartbreaking loss to Chinese Taipei last Saturday, Gilas Pilipinas showed its resilience with pinpoint shooting and suffocating defense to book its first victory in the second round of the tournament.

“We wanted to forget about the last game,” said Gilas coach Chot Reyes.

After a close first quarter, Gilas got a spark from Japeth Aguilar, who had two sensational dunks to break the spirits of the Japanese.

The Philippines was leading, 46-36, before the dam finally broke in the third quarter. Jeff Chan opened the second half with back-to-back three-pointers to kick off a 17-4 run to give Gilas a 63-40 spread.

Two free throws by Marcus Douthit pushed the advantage to 26 points for the Philippines, which didn’t lead by less than 16 points the rest of the way.

Gilas wreaked havoc on the defensive end, stealing the basketball 10 times and hounding Japan to just 38 percent shooting from the field. The Filipinos forced Japan to 17 turnovers that they turned into 22 points.

The Philippines also shot the lights out from beyond the arc, going 12-of-20 (60 percent). Marcus Douthit was a source of strength once again, posting 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Jeff Chan added 16 points of 4-of-5 shooting from three-point distance.

Gilas allowed JR Sakuragi (19 points, 13 rebounds) and Kosuke Takeuchi (17 points, nine rebounds) to dominate the paint, but clamped down on dangerous Japanese shooters. Japan’s starting backcourt Kosuke Kanamaru and Ryota Sakurai combined for just six points on just 2-of-10 shooting from the field.

The two teams will plunge back into battle on Tuesday, with the Philippines taking on Qatar and Japan facing Jordan.

The Philippines also shot the lights out from beyond the arc, going 12-of-20 (60 percent).

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 next mission Qatar NT ............. 
    good game by JA tonight .............. our gunners are on target
         while poor shooting on Japanese side 

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current standing ....
Group E:

CT 3-0
QAT 3-0
PHI 2-1
JPN 1-2
JOR 0-3
HK 0-3 (likely)

Group F:

IRN 3-0
KAZ 2-1
SK 2-1 (likely)
CHN 1-2
BAH 1-2
IND 0-3

[kingjames24szupladoh]

buti na sustain nila yung 3rd quarter nila gang end game at di sila nag collapse like last time

[¿m☺ÿ]

nice one gilas.... ganun talaga sa basketball, most of the time things happened out of the way we plan it.... but at least we learned, thats the least we can do..... kaya pa yan...