A Gilas weekend

To be the best in Asia. That has been the country’s mission for 2013. The task to prove it? Win the FIBA Asia championship today. After last night’s game, are we there? Note that I’m writing this before the semifinals game. If we won last night, we’re good for at least a silver medal finish and a trip to the FIBA World Championships in Spain in 2014. If we lost, then we play for the bronze which also gives us a ticket to the FIBA Worlds. A top three finish will mean the country’s best finish in this prestigious tournament that has been acknowledged to be the venue to determine Asia’s top dog. Our last championship in this tournament? 1973. It was then called the ABC or Asian Basketball Confederation. Were you already born in 1973? Since then, it has been a rough roller coaster ride for Philippine basketball that included a suspension imposed by the FIBA when our basketball stakeholders were at odds. We’ve had a few close calls along the way including a championship at the ABC 1985-86 edition and a bronze in the Asian Games. Somewhere along the way, a number of “experiments” were carried out including the NCC program in the 80s, the use of pros and amateurs, and the ugly political intrams among basketball’s big names. (I wonder what the BAP is doing. Will they even have the balls to criticize the ongoing hosting of the FIBA Asia games?) We even had the Gilas I program that maintained practically an all amateur squad before today’s Gilas team. All this has reached a climax of sorts today as the MVP-initiated dream faces its ultimate reality check.

 While the team goes for its goal, the most fascinating phenomenon that one can’t deny is how the country has united to support Gilas Pilipinas, our national team. At the MOA Arena last Friday, people formed long lines for tickets to watch the quarterfinals game against Kazakhstan. Tickets were sold out and scalpers were ecstatic. In Facebook, sports fans posted their support, prayers and thoughts for three straight Gilas wins from Friday until today. Many (including Cebuanos) posted status updates or pictures of their being at the MOA Arena. Someone even posted a picture of a parking lot notice saying that the no more parking slots were available and all were advised to park at the nearby MOA. Other great forms of support and unity is how the UAAP and NCAA, the country’s top collegiate leagues that are in the middle of their respective seasons, agreed to call a suspension of all their games to give way to the games of the FIBA Asia Championships. And you know what that means. That’s ABS-CBN Sports giving way to TV competitors BTV and TV5.

 This weekend of sports is easily the biggest one for the country as a whole ever since Manny Pacquiao lost to Juan Manuel Marquez. Millions of fans will be glued to their TVs nationwide Friday to Sunday. Next day conversations with colleagues and friends will all be about Gilas. We all felt sad when Gilas lost to Taiwan, and even gave our own analysis and projections. But didn’t we all rejoice when we stopped Qatar in that crucial match that meant avoiding China? All the talk went negative again when we struggled past Hong Kong, a team that we were expected to defeat convincingly. Instead, it was a hard-fought come from behind win that nobody expected. All the talk yesterday was about how we dominated Kazakhstan, 88-58: how Gary David broke out of his shooting slump, how Japeth Aguilar displayed his athleticism while Marcus Douthit “rested,” how the sixth man was at its best (and how June Mar Fajardo picked up four quick fouls.) Come on, we’ll take the good with the not so good as well, di ba?

All these are very positive signs that the country can be united for a sports dream. It’s probably the only matter where rivals and foes can actually sit down and agree on something. Here, you’ll see all Pinoys cheering for just one squad. No green vs blue here. It’s all about the Gilas, Pinas and Laban Pilipinas. Did you say Pinoy Pride? Absolutely! I’m afraid we’ll have to borrow the tag from ALA and ABS-CBN at least for this weekend. And I’m sure ALA and Michael Aldeguer won’t mind it at all. The Lopezes will be cringing in their seats due to the lost opportunity for sales via TV, but in the end, they’ll give it up generously for the country, won’t they?

So brace yourselves. Will we go to the FIBA World Championships in 2014? Will we be the top dog of Asia? Laban Pilipinas!

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Time-out: Paging DPWH: Any update on the portions of the Cansaga to Tayud Consolacion road that are not yet cemented? >>> You can reach me at [email protected].