The only way to beat opponents that seem to have your number is to keep on playing them because the time will come when you will know exactly when and how you can win over them.
Just ask Juan Manuel Marquez who finally scored a thunderous sixth round knockout against archrival Manny Pacquiao. In three previous battles, Marquez salvaged a draw and lost twice.
Just ask Gilas Pilipinas. After years of frustration against South Korea, the Philippines finally won a big one against their tormentors in last year’s Fiba Asia. The win was enough to earn the country a ticket to the current world championships in Spain.
No doubt the losses of Gilas against topnotch competition have been painful for this basketball loving country. The games against Croatia and Argentina were close.
The loss to Puerto Rico was heartbreaking because again the team erected an early lead but could not hit the big shots at crunch time. What’s more, it was Filipino-sized JJ Barea who did most of the damage.
The win against Senegal provided both relief and delight. It would have been a heavier burden to bear had the team not won a single game. The accolades for being a heroic and exciting team were appropriate and no doubt, music to the players’ ears. Still, nothing beats winning.
Filipinos have saluted their players because puso (heart) was there in every game. The players gave it their all for their countrymen in the stands in Seville and the millions more watching on tubes back home. Filipinos are extremely thankful that their team was not simply fodder for its opponents. Buti di natambakan, (Good thing we weren’t beaten by big margins), many were heard to say.
The Philippine team hasn’t played most of its opponents in the longest time. Sure, scouting and watching opponents games on YouTube helps but there’s nothing like actually trading blades with them on the hardwood. The world championship has drawn the best teams from around the globe. Many of them are veterans of this competition and know what it takes to win.
If the Gilas Pilipinas program continues to work on its gains from the Fiba Asia games and now the World Cup, then we can expect to only get better in the years to come. We’re making up for an absence of 36 years and the rest of the world has definitely gotten better since Carlos Loyzaga and the gallant band of Filipinos won third in 1954.
We can only beat the world’s highly ranked teams by playing against them more often.
The international game will augur well for the improvement of our own brand of basketball. Coaching and team preparation in our own leagues will sharpen immensely because teams will be prepared for taller and heftier opponents. And more importantly, Filipino teams will be compelled to improve perimeter and three-point shooting which are indispensible ingredients for success in international play.
There were no real losses for Gilas Pilipinas in its return to the world stage. As coaches love to preach, there were tons of “positives” or good lessons to learn from participating.
But Gilas Pilipinas must be allowed to live on even with alternative players and personnel in the future. Becoming truly world class happens only when you play against world-class competition.