Gilas Pilipinas hindi pa 100% ready para sa FIBA Asia Championship
ISANG linggo na lang bago mag-umpisa ang FIBA Asia Men’s Championship na gaganapin dito sa Pilipinas.
Pero tila hindi pa 100 percent ready ang Gilas Pilipinas na lalaban sa torneo at may misyong makakuha ng isa sa tatlong World Cup slots na paglalabanan sa naturang torneo.
Nakita ang mga kakulangan ng pambansang koponan sa exhibition game nito laban sa selection team ng PBA.
“With one week to go before FIBA Asia there’s absolutely no excuse for the way we played in the first half. It was a terrible, terrible game,” sabi ni Gilas head coach Chot Reyes na bagaman nanalo ang kanyang koponan, 99-87, ay hindi naman ito natuwa sa nilaro ng kanyang koponan.
Nakitaan ng malamyang paglalaro ang Gilas Pilipinas sa unang tatlong quarters ng laro. Humataw na lamang ang koponan sa ikaapat at huling quarter para masiguro ang panalo.
“If we were up against Chinese Taipei or Jordan, we would have been down 20 at the half,” sabi ni Reyes.
Pinuna rin ni Reyes ang masamang laro ng point guard na si Jason Castro.
“If you noticed I benched Castro in the second half,” dagdag ni Reyes.
“Jayson already had five turnovers in the first half. I mean, the way he was playing he shouldn’t have been in this team. Our point guards, Jayson and LA (Tenorio), were terrible tonight. if not for Jimmy (Alapag) we would have been in big trouble.”
Nagtulung-tulong sina Alapag, Gabe Norwood, Ranidel de Ocampo, Gary David at June Mar Fajardo para masungkit ng Gilas ang panalo laban sa wala gaanong ensayong PBA selection.
Si De Ocampo ay umiskor ng 16 puntos para pangunahan ang Gilas na nagkamit ng 21 turnovers.
Kung masama ng umpisa ng Gilas ay hindi rin naman gaanong kahusay ang nilaro ng PBA selection na pinangunahan ni Arwind Santos ng Petron Blaze na may 21 puntos.
Hindi nakapaglaro para sa PBA team si Joe Devance ng SanMig Coffee at humalili sa kanya ang kakampi niyang si Rafi Reavis.
Ngayong gabi ay sasabak sa isa pang tune-up game ang Gilas Pilipinas. Makakatapat nito ang pambansang koponan ng Kazakhstan sa Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“I hope it’s different Friday,” sabi Reyes. “It’s only two ways. Either this will get them down or this will get them fired up for Friday. I’m banking on the latter.”
Inamin din ni Reyes na wala pa sa 100% ang level ng paglalaro ng Gilas Pilipinas.
“I thought we were making good progress in practice. After (the) New Zealand (trip) I thought we were in the 80 to 85 (percent) level but we took a huge step backward with tonight’s performance,” sabi ni Reyes.
“You can probably chalk it up to them being too tired or too excited since this is their first game on home soil since June. Maybe they’re too excited, too careful playing against their former teammates. Let’s see Friday if it gets any better.”
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