FIBA ASIA 2013: Big Fighting heart lifts Gilas to redemption

After a long drought of 28 years, Smart Gilas made its way back to the world
stage after a 86-79 win against Korea to secure a ticket to Spain for the 2014 FIBA
World cup last August 10,2013 in Mall of Asia Arena.
The historic journey of the Philippine team started as they crumbled down the
Arabian team,78-66 to serve as a preparation for their next battles against big names
such Chinese Taipei, Jordan and Qatar. This ball game was not an easy one as
everybody was expecting since we will have the home court advantage. Thanks to the
effort of Pingris and Douthit, the team prevailed and continue their next match versus
Jordan.
The next match against Jordan was the real deal as the players shows their
might in the hardcourt managing a 77-71 win. Chan led the way for the Philippines with
17 points, Jayson Castro sliced his way into the lane for 16, while Norwood had a
dazzling all-around game with eight points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, and
two blocks.
The quick headstart of the national team on the series wasnt long enough as the
Taiwanese team broke the heart of the Filipino fans .A comeback from behind win over
the Gilas team ,84-79 was the big surprised for everyone specially for Coach Chot
Reyes who apologized to the fans after the game and takes blame for the collapse of
the team.
Carrying the will of the entire basketball nation, the hope for the Fiba World spot
was still alive as they swept their games against Japan and Qatar. These two teams
were equipped with calibered players but with the home side at their backs ,the team
surpassed the threats through sharing the ball, solid defence and using the bench
effectively.
Before entering the Quartefinals, the team were in a dilemma again as they were
surprised by the young Hongkong team and put Gilas to the test. The squad flirted with
disaster in the first three quarters before cleaning up its act in the final period to defeat
Hong Kong, 67-55.
After by the sloppy performance against Hongkong the national team explodes
for the quarterfinals match ,overpowering the Kazakhs 88-58. David finished with 22
points, finally breaking out of his tournament-long shooting slump after making four of
his six three-point attempts. Japeth Aguilar, a source of energy and hustle once again,
added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Philippines. This easy win was just the
prologue for the upcoming bout against the Koreans.
Upon entering the hardcourt for the semifinals game ,every Filipino fans was
anxious and nervous since the team will be playing without their powerful center Markus
Douthit suffering from an injury. Hunted by the loss from the Koreans last Fiba Asia
Cup, the Gilas prepared and carried a big fighting heart as they battle for honor. The
scintillating game between the two teams were beyond the expectation of everyone. All
throughout the game, the Koreans did not give the national team a chance to pull away
but as the ball game approaches its end, Pingris picked up the slack for Gilas, finishing
with 16 points and 10 rebounds. But the impact of Pinoy Sakuragi went way beyond
the box scores, providing the energy and the hustle as he battled against the bigger
players from South Korea. Alapag and De Ocampo delivered their biggest baskets in
the endgame sealing the curse of the Philippine national team against the Koreans.
As the buzzer sounded , everyone in the Arena shouted for glory and happiness
as the Gilas team made it through thick and thin ,proving that we were still competitive
enough to join the Fiba World cup. All the players were in tears and shouting
PUSO,PUSO,PUSO showing the great passion we have for basketball.
Eventhough we lost for the Gold medal battle against Iran, the Smart Gilas team
were contented with the results and happy to inspire every Filipino citizen. The
unending support of the fans for the national team is far more precious than the title
itself.