Philippine five seeks gold vs Thailand Sunday

JAKARTA—Norman Black knows that they will have to win this one.

“We have no room to be overconfident. We have to finish the job,” Black said on the eve of Team Philippines’ return match with Thailand today for the men’s basketball gold medal in the 26th Southeast Asian Games.

It came as a surprise to many that it was the Thais who made the championship game after upsetting host Indonesia, 65-62, late Friday before a huge, disappointed crowd at the BritAma Arena in Kelapa Gading.

And though that result favors the Filipinos, who beat the Thais handily last week, Black said that the only thing gained in its match with Thailand is that the Philippine five won’t have to contend with a hostile hometown crowd.

Only one Philippine team, the batch of 1989 in Kuala Lumpur, did not win the basketball gold when it was upset by the hosts.

Though no one has admitted it to this day, losing to the Malaysians that year was a clear case of overconfidence. And it is something that Black is wary of.

“There must be a reason why Thailand beat Indonesia,” the multi-titled coach said. “We must go out there and win the gold and not take anything for granted.”

Winning the basketball gold will not only reaffirm the country’s status in the region, but also ease the pain of the national cagebelles’ failure to win the gold when theylost to the Thais last Friday.

Gametime is 8 p.m. in Manila, with the Filipinos expected to treat the Thais the same way they did Wednesday, 103-69, when six players scored in twin digits to complement a solid defense.

“We’ve played them before, and we have an idea that they are not that quick but physical—almost dirty,” said skipper Chris Tiu.

“Thailand is made up mostly of veteran players. That is why we will use our speed to pressure them and run them down.”

It was against the Thais where the Filipinos played their best defensive game to date, allowing just two players to score more than 11 and holding them to just 48 points in the last three periods.

Greg Slaughter, the 7-foot center, will undoubtedly be the main force in the middle for Black with Tiu and other guards like Kiefer Ravena and RR Garcia anchoring the Filipinos’ running game.