NBA stars vow toughest test vs Gilas 5

MANILA, Philippines - Gilas Pilipinas, fresh from a bronze medal finish in the FIBA Asia Cup, will face an assembly of NBA stars in a two-day charity series for the final stage of the Nationals buildup for the FIBA World Cup.

Called The Last HOME Stand, the event starts at 7:30 tonight at the Smart Araneta Coliseum where the NBA stars, five of them chosen to the US training pool for the world joust, vowed to provide the Nationals the toughest test and let them feel “the pain in Spain.”

But it’s not only for Gilas’ last outing before the home court as the event, sponsored by PLDT HOME, is also held for the benefit of the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation and Caritas Manila.

The series will also feature a skills camp as part of the package to be conducted by elite development specialist John Lucas.

The Nationals and the NBA stars, led by 2014 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clipper Blake Griffin and Houston Rocket James Harden, will also meet at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow in this special event with “assist” as the overriding theme.

The PLDT Home Fibr All-Stars, also featuring Tyson Chandler, Ed Davis, Paul George, Brandon Jennings, Terrence Ross, Damian Lillard, DeMar DeRozan, Nick Johnson and Kyle Lowry, have agreed to give Gilas the toughest test that could help them prepare for the coming world meet.

In a press conference at the NBA Café at SM Aura in Taguig almost upon their arrival in the country, Lucas and the players considered it as an honor to be part of a charity event through the sport the Filipinos have shown passion.

They promised to put up a good show and push the Filipinos in their World Cup buildup.

“The challenge is not just about basketball but to really be of help,” said Lucas, a former NBA star who’s now among the world’s leading elite basketball skills development specialist.

Before the games, Lucas is holding short clinic sessions for the two teams right at the Big Dome before the fans.

“A lot of these guys (American players) may also go to Spain. So this event is a good chance for these players to watch one another,” said Lucas.

Harden and Chandler were both members of the gold-medal winning US team in the 2012 London Olympics. They’re in the current US pool together with Griffin, Leonard, George and Lillard.

“They’re (Gilas) team oriented. They play well as a team. I’ve had an opportunity to work with them,” said Harden who was with the NBA group that played the Gilas I team at the Big Dome in 2011.

“We’re here to put up a show and give back to the community,” said Lowry.

“I’ve heard a lot about the Philippines from (San Antonio assistant) coach (Chip Engelland) – the passion, the people, the culture. We’ll inter-active with the people and the culture,” said Leonard.

“It’s fun to be back. I love the fan support here, I love the energy, and I love adobo,” said DeRozan, in the country a few days back for an NBA 3X event.

The home team, of course, is excited with the opportunity to test its mettle against these NBA stars.

“It’s basically a treat for the fans, but at the same time giving our players a chance to play against these guys because I know this experience will come in handy at the worlds,” said Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes.

Except for Andray Blatche who’s in Miami awaiting the Gilas pool for their training there in the first week of August, all Gilas hopefuls are to suit up for this Last HOME Stand event.

Returning into action are Jimmy Alapag, Larry Fonacier, Jayson Castro, Gabe Norwood, Jeff Chan and Marc Pingris, joining Asia Cup bronze medal winners Marcus Douthit, Junmar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar, Jay Washington, Ranidel de Ocampo, Gary David, Jared Dillinger, LA Tenorio, Beau Belga and Paul Lee.  

 “We are honored to play alongside the PLDT Home Fibr All-Stars team. I am sure the boys are excited as I am to be part of this historic event. It’s going to be challenging, for sure, but it’s definitely going to be a great learning experience for all of us,” said Reyes.