Philippines vs. Palestine. Photo from Fiba.com
CHANGSHA City, China – Aside from the Palestinian national team, obviously, there was a bunch of other people happy to have seen Gilas Pilipinas take an early tumble in the Fiba Asia Championship on Wednesday afternoon.
Chinese fans, seated behind the Philippine Team bench for the duration of a 75-73 loss to Palestine at Changsha Social Work College gym here, suddenly became boisterous in the dying minutes when the Filipinos entered a scoring drought that spelled their doom.
READ: Credit to Palestine as Gilas embarrassed in Fiba Asia opener loss
They also cheered Sani Sakakini and Jamal Abu Shamala after every big shot made in the stretch, knowing that a Philippine loss could eventually take China out of a collision course with the Filipinos in the KO stages.
Gilas Pilipinas has been a crowd magnet everywhere it plays.
READ: Gilas yields to first-timer Palestine to start 2015 Fiba Asia bid
In Seville, Spain, last year, during group action in the World Cup, Gilas earned fans coming from all over the globe with its never-say-die attitude against foes that are bigger and taller.
Philippines vs. Palestine. Photo from Fiba.com
READ: Gilas loss to Palestine should be a wake-up call, says Norwood
On Wednesday, it was very rare to see fans cheering the other side on and wishing for the Philippines to lose and it was even rarer to witness the voice of a small delegation of Filipino fans drowned by anyone else.