Chinese on the horizon

A COUPLE of games shook things up in the Fiba Asia championship Saturday night, one more obvious—and painful—than the other.

As defending champion China sputtered to a 1-2 record going into the second preliminary phase, the Philippines lost the classification game it wanted to win the most, falling 79-84 after a roller coaster game to Chinese Taipei at Mall of Asia Arena.

Both developments steered the two countries into what could be a quarterfinal collision, a scenario Gilas Pilipinas had hoped to avoid when they began plotting their route back to the world stage by picking to join the easier Group A of the tournament.

Skipper Jimmy Alapag put a different spin to it.

“We’re going to have to play one of [the top] teams anyway,” said Alapag, brushing off suggestions that the loss to Chinese Taipei, where Gilas Pilipinas trailed by 11 in the first half and led by 13 going into the fourth, doomed the country’s bid to nail one of three slots to the Fiba World Cup in Spain next year.

“One game doesn’t decide a tournament,” added a subdued Marcus Douthit, the team’s starting center.

Chinese Taipei used the three-point shot as a potent weapon Saturday night, silencing a crowd that had gone nuts in the third quarter, when Larry Fonacier knocked down shot after shot to help the Filipinos to a 13-point buffer, 68-55, entering the final period.

Fonacier, however, was not on the floor in the fourth quarter, with coach Chot Reyes feeling that a few minutes on the bench would refuel the group that had battled back from 11 points down in the first half.

By the time he was sent back in, though, Fonacier had cooled off and the Taiwanese heated up, draining five triples in their comeback and finishing with 15 in all.

“There’s really no words to say,” said Fonacier of the loss. “We just have to start from here and get ready for the next round.”

There were some, though, who were able to put words to the loss.

“It hurt a little bit more,” said swingman Gabe Norwood after emerging from a somber locker room. “[This loss] weighed heavy in our hearts.”

The game had political implications, after all. This was the first game between the two sides since a shooting incident at sea left a Taiwanese fisherman dead and Filipinos in Taiwan victims of retaliatory attacks.

Reyes, in fact, minced no words in reeling in the incident during his post-game speech: “I would like to apologize to our countrymen, our OFWs, in Taiwan. We wanted to win this one for them because I know they have been a victim of a lot of abuse.”

While the loss puts Gilas possibly in China’s path, none of the Nationals are looking at the other bracket just yet.

“We know the situation; we’ve paid little attention,” said Norwood. “But our focus is on our next three games.

Because of Lebanon’s withdrawal, all Group B teams advance to the second preliminary phase. But to make sure Japan, Qatar and Hong Kong don’t have a disadvantage of playing fewer games when they merge with Group A survivors, the format will have the Philippines, Chinese Taipei and Jordan advancing minus the result of their games against eliminated Saudi Arabia.

That means the Philippines, with a 2-1 record, will enter the second preliminary phase with a 1-1 slate. Chinese Taipei, now 3-0, will advance with a 2-0 card. Jordan is 1-2 but will advance at 0-2.