Chot out to solve Gilas ‘mistakes’ in game vs Japan

Andray Blatche. Photo from Fiba.com

Shortly upon returning home Saturday, Chot Reyes and the rest of the Gilas Pilipinas coaching staff buckled down to work, dead set on identifying their flaws the night before to improve on a performance he described as a “six.”

Reyes and his staff aren’t looking at Chinese Taipei yet, even with that game just two nights away, as they want to correct all the mistakes that came out in a scary 77-71 win over Japan in the first window of the Filipinos’ Fiba Asia 2019 World Cup Qualifying schedule in Tokyo.

“We’re still in the gym, viewing [Friday’s game’s] mistakes to correct them,” Reyes told the Inquirer via a text message. “After which, we talk of Taiwan.”

The Filipinos bungled first half control over the Japanese at Komazawa Olympic gym and trailed in the third period before hammering out the win.

The Filipinos got the goods from Jason Castro and Andray Blatche in the stretch to survive, something Gilas cannot do against the Taiwanese, a team that has had more success of late against Gilas compared to Japan.

Team Philippines hasn’t lost to Japan since 2004, while Taipei defeated Gilas in 2013 during the Fiba Asia World Cup qualifiers at Mall of Asia Arena.

One thing going for the Filipinos in the 7:30 p.m. match slated Monday at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao is that the Taiwanese will be coming off an ego-deflating loss at about the same time Gilas was pulling out the win over Japan.

Chinese Taipei suffered a 104-66 ripping at the hands of world power Australia, a new inclusion in the region after Fiba merged Asia and Oceania for this qualifying schedule.

Australia torched the Taiwanese with a 62 percent clip from the field and 48 percent from three-point range, with starting forward Daniel Kickert hitting 3-for-5 from that range to finish with 15 points in just over 17 minutes.