Moment of truth for Gilas

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

GILAS Pilipinas coach Tab Baldwin has had France in his mind since last week, spending countless hours pondering how to beat the highest-ranked squad in the Manila Olympic Qualifying Tournament that gets going today.

“To tell you the truth, we’ve been focusing very hard on France already,” Baldwin told the Inquirer on Thursday, two days after flying in from Istanbul and a day before playing Turkey in a second tuneup match at home which the Filipinos narrowly lost.

Baldwin doesn’t mind losing sleep in coming up with a winning game plan for the Filipinos, who will try to pave their own Road to Rio starting with the clash against the world No. 5 French, led by NBA superstar Tony Parker, at 9 p.m. today at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

After losing to the Turks, 84-76, on Friday, the Gilas coaching staff closed its doors in training and has declined interviews. It is understood that the team wants total focus on the task at hand and to get going on the right foot.

“We have to be able to stay in the game with these (tall European) teams,” Baldwin said after the game with Turkey where Gilas trailed by as many as 17 points early in the third period and saw its last-gasp rally fall short.

“We have to be able to nip at their ankles for 40 minutes and get the chance to win in the end game.”

What Gilas needs to do

That is exactly what the Filipinos would need to do against France, which has sent its best team here in order to keep alive a streak of playing in the Olympics. The French have vied in every Summer Games since 1948 in London.

Nic Batum boarded a plane to Manila on Monday morning after signing a $120-million, five-year contract with the Charlotte Hornets. But his status, as far as playing against the Filipinos is concerned, remains a question mark.

“We know it’s impossible (for Batum to play against the Philippines),” France coach Vincent Collett said in a press conference yesterday.

Collett is aware that NBA free agents can only play in the OQTs after July 7, the date for signing of new contracts.

Batum, though, could be available if he blows into town already with an agreement with Charlotte management that he can play before July 7. And that would make France the real team to beat in the six-nation Manila leg.

Simultaneous qualifying tournaments also fire off today in Serbia and Italy, and like the one in Manila, will stake just one Olympic berth each to complete Rio de Janeiro’s main draw of 12 countries, led by reigning champion United States.

While France has an Olympic tradition to uphold; the Philippines is aiming to start one.

Out of the Summer Games since 1972 in Munich, this is the closest the Philippines has come to returning to the Olympics. The likes of Asian rivals China, South Korea and Iran have deprived the country of its old spot in the Games.

This could also be the last solid shot that the Philippines will have following Fiba’s move to draw up a hectic qualifying schedule for its big tournaments—a development that will keep professional PBA players out of the national five.

Undeniably, Andray Blatche will be the focal point of the Gilas game on both ends and the team would need to have his supporting cast firing on all cylinders if it is entertaining thoughts of an upset.

NOTES:The game against the New Zealanders, which will be do-or-die if the Filipinos lose today, is slated at 9 p.m., like tonight’s match against the French, tomorrow.