Gilas faces bounceback or go home prospect
Games today (Istora Senayan, Jakarta) 3 p.m. (4 p.m. Manila time) – Philippines vs India 8 p.m. (9 p.m. Manila time) – New Zealand vs Lebanon
Like Thirdy Ravena who got cut and bruised off a nasty fall in the 9580 loss to Lebanon, Gilas Pilipinas is ready to pick itself up and continue the fight in the FIBA Asia Cup.
The Nationals shift their focus to today’s must-win Group D matchup with fellow opening-day loser India at the Istora Senayan, which could well give them a shot at a targeted quarterfinal ticket.
Per tournament rules, the group winner earns an outright Last-8 ticket while the second and third-ranked teams go into the qualification phase to dispute a quarters seat versus Group C’s No. 3 and No. 2, respectively.
A win virtually secures the Philippines’ positioning for at least No. 3 ahead of its last group game against old tormentor New Zealand on Sunday.
New Zealand, which opened with a 100-47 rout of India, and Lebanon are tipped to battle for Group D supremacy, leaving the third spot as a contest between Gilas and the Indians.
“It was a tough game for us against Lebanon but most important, we have another chance to bounce back and now, the ‘championship game’ is our next game against India,” said Philippine skipper Kiefer Ravena.
The Filipinos go into the 3 p.m. game (4 p.m. Manila time) with the psychological edge, having previously swept the Indians in their two matches in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, 104-69 and 7963. Still, that’s no reason for Gilas to lower its guard.
“We played India before but I think it’s a different team they sent here in the FIBA Asia Cup so we have to be physically and mentally prepared going to the game,” said Ravena.
Gilas coach Chot Reyes picked up some positives from the tough opening game Wednesday night, where his charges unleashed a mighty 16-4 blast to cut what was once a 21-point lead by the Cedars to a manageable nine in the fourth before the Cedars shut the door for good.
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