EDITORIAL – Learning to accept the fact

In another failed bid to recapture regional supremacy, the Philippines bowed to China in the finals of the FIBA Asia Championships Saturday night in Changsha. After jumping to an early lead, the Gilas Pilipinas just could not sustain the momentum as the Chinese went on a roll.

A win would have pushed the Filipinos to secure an automatic slot in the Rio de Janeiro Olympic. However, the younger and taller Chinese were just too smart and fast, outscoring the Gilas to stay unbeaten in the 16-nation basketball tournament.

Still, the basketball-mad Philippines, together with Asian powerhouses Iran and Japan, will advance to one of the three FIBA qualifying rounds, where it will have a chance to grab that coveted spot in the Olympic.

Filipinos have nothing but admiration for their national team. The fact that Gilas ended up copping the silver in the region's most prestigious basketball tournament is already a great achievement for the country.

Of course, the Filipinos have regained the respect from other countries following a series of good performances in international competitions. In fact, the country made its presence hugely felt during last year's World's Basketball Championships in Spain.

But as much as the country wanted to regain its old glory as the best in Asia, it is no longer the team to beat in the region. Since the 1980s, China had replaced the Philippines as the regional top performer.

Since the past decade, South Korea and Japan have been scaring the Philippines, beating the Filipinos in important Asian tournaments. Even Middle East has emerged as a bright spot for basketball with Iran, Lebanon and Jordan leading the pack.

Gone are the days when the Filipinos were the most feared across the continent with countries not known for basketball now beating the Philippines, where the love for the game is unparalleled anywhere in the world.

With regional competitions getting tougher, Filipinos should learn to accept the fact that bringing back that old basketball glory has become an impossible task.