Fans and critics were one in praising the Gilas Pilipinas national basketball squad for its strong stand against the fifth-ranked French national squad over the weekend.
Gilas Pilipinas, as unanimously observed, did push France to the limit before yielding by only seven points (75-68) at the buzzer.
These same observers, however, went their separate ways after the Philippine national team was mangled by ninth-ranked Australia (97-75) in the four-team pocket tournament staged in Antibes, France.
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In a story bylined by my friend Joe Antonio, veteran sports editor, People’s Journal said Australia was too tall and strong.
There were others who claimed Gilas Pilipinas had an off-night.
What obviously got overlooked was the critical foldup by Gilas in the closing quarter after the national team had ably stayed with tough Australia in the earlier stages.
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A most bothersome weakness of the Philippine team that got exposed in that defeat was its anemic defense.
The first three quarters were virtual scrimmages, with both sides scoring almost at will.
There was a stunning shift, however, after Australia put its foot down to mount an unshakeable pressing defense.
At the same time, the Australians came up with dazzling attacks plotted around the backcourt area.
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Maybe the quicker Gilas flank defenders wanted to do something, but were instead often caught stunned, if not totally paralyzed, by the blitzkrieg.
Meanwhile, a flash report that came in while this column was being written said Gilas Pilipinas dropped its final match in the pocket league against unranked Ukraine by an even more awful margin (114-64).
Poor defense, just like in the fall against Australia, clearly led to the Gilas Pilipinas undoing against Ukraine.
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Curiously, naturalized Philippine team pillar Andray Blatche did not suit up against Ukraine in an effort to save him from any on-floor accident or injury.
Of course, it has remained unclear what exact role Blatche will be made to play for Gilas Pilipinas.
Will he be mainly involved in point production? Or will he function as a defensive pillar and facilitator?
The best that could be said—and hoped—is that Gilas Pilipinas could be saving its toughest best for the Fiba World Cup tournament proper.
However, defensive anemia is a very serious affliction that takes time and tremendous effort to correct.