Blatche shrugs off shoulder scare with Gilas a win away from finals

Andray Blatche during a play in Gilas vs Lebanon game. Photo from Fiba.com

CHANGSHA CITY, China – Andray Blatche was at the center of another scary sequence in the Gilas Pilipinas-Lebanon Fiba Asia quarterfinal clash late Thursday night, when he laid on his back, grimacing, with an obvious right shoulder injury.

The small Filipino gallery at ringside of Changsha Social Work College gym here held its breathe as Blatche was helped up and relieved by Ranidel de Ocampo for two free throws.

In the Filipinos’ 73-66 victory over Japan in the preliminaries last Sunday, a tight offensive stab by Blatche left him limping back to the bench, his right ankle twisted that it required team trainer Dexter Aseron to re-tape Blatche for the rest of the game.

The 6-foot-11 naturalized center did return against the Japanese and helped the Filipinos win that game.

On Thursday, he did the same thing, and driven by what he said were “disrespectful” remarks from Lebanese coach Veselin Matic, Blatche hit a lot of shots during the most crucial stretches of the fourth period that led to an 82-70 victory.

“I’m just going to have to rest it, ice it for a while and then I’ll be fine,” Blatche said after posing for pictures with Filipino fans and signing autographs.

There’s no doubt that Blatche is here to play, with minor injuries like those failing to keep him on the bench.

When told that it was a scary situation that had everyone worried, Blatche said: “Yeah, it was. I scared myself, too.”