FIBA World Cup: Serving notice

The world’s biggest basketball secret is out: the Philippines is for real, and belongs on the world stage. After forcing powerhouse Croatia into overtime before losing by merely three in their first-ever match-up, Gilas Pilipinas also exposed how the pendulum swings both ways in international competition. That loss already changed the way people around the world will look at basketball in Asia. China, Japan and Chinese Taipei didn’t qualify for the FIBA World Cup; the Philippines did. And along the way, the country will surprise even more of the world’s contenders, and earn their respect.

For starters, even if the players of Gilas Pilipinas showed a certain nervousness in the beginning, who could blame them? Only Jimmy Alapag had been born the last time the country played in the World Championship, which was held in Manila in 1978. At the time, the best players were in the newly formed PBA, leaving a vacuum that the national federation then, the Basketball Association of the Philippines, was not able to fill. So we ended up sending our best collegiate athletes, and realized it wasn’t enough. None of this is in the realm of the current team’s experience. Even the Croatian players admitted they were nervous in interviews with European news agencies. After all, this happens only every four years, and they were playing the first match against a first-time opponent. Even the other teams that have been playing at this level get the jitters, which is good news for the nationals. It proves the world’s best teams are human, too.

Height can be a disadvantage. Many revealing instances took place in the first half of the game, as the Philippines showed it could force more turnovers than its opponents. Bigger players are generally slower, and have to dribble higher, giving our guards a bigger target in stealing the ball. This was particularly puzzling for the bigger Croatian players, who had trouble putting the ball on the floor, and this limited their offense to outside shooting and dangerous passes to cutters from the weak side. Also, contact works against the bigger player. Wilt Chamberlain used to lament that referees always called fouls on him because he was bigger and his movements more obvious, while conversely calling far fewer fouls on smaller players who hacked him. If you are a European player used to banging against 6’8” opponents, and you don’t adjust against a 6’4” defender, you will unavoidably get whistled for offensive fouls. 

In Malcolm Gladwell’s book “David and Goliath”, he analyzes the biblical match-up. More closely to illustrate how Old Testament hero David played to his strengths in defeating their oppressor’s champion. His research revealed that the shepherd was but a slight boy, the older warrior before him standing about 6’9.” David fought from long range, not at close quarters, using his sling to target the giant’s weakness, an exposed forehead. He used the speed of a small stone to knock Goliath down, then rushed in and, using the fallen monster’s own sword, beheaded him.

Figuratively, this represents how smart Gilas Pilipinas has played, in a system designed by Chot Reyes to overcome our inherent deficiencies. Speed and long-range shooting are keys, the great equalizers. If you are a taller defender, you are baited into reaching for the shooter, and again, using excessive force, end up committing a foul. This was revealed by Jimmy Alapag’s four-point play. And if you try to stop the outside shot, a quicker player would drive past you, forcing your teammates to help, distorting the defense. As others collapse into the paint to stop the penetration, more shooters are open on the outside. It is a risk, but a calculated one Gilas Pilipinas played well. Also factor in that the amateur distance for the three-point line is shorter, making it easier for the Filipinos to shoot. 

At first glance, the schedule may seem to work against the Philippines, since the strongest opponents come in the first three games, if it were the other way around, you could postulate that the Philippines could have waylaid Senegal first, putting pressure on the remaining four opponents. And conversely, one of the powerhouse teams left could have already qualified for the round of 16 by the time they faced Gilas Pilipinas, and could take it easy. Nevertheless, the schedule is what it is, and is actually far more interesting. Now, the reputation of Gilas Pilipinas as a potential giant slayer will precede it going into the next games.

Greece is going to be a very interesting opponent, simply because of how they have fared in recent years. After ascending to runner-up in the 2006 FIBA World Championships, the last country to beat the USA in a major tournament did not even qualify for the London Olympics. In 2013, the proud Greeks fell to 11th place at the Eurobasket, closing out their campaign with a double-overtime loss to Croatia. Considering that the Philippines even led Croatia in overtime and lost by only three points (and a suspect non-call in the waning seconds of extra time), can you imagine how concerned this young Greece squad could be? Let’s also consider the fact that the Philippines qualified outright, defeating Korea to end up second in the FIBA Asia tournament luckily held in the Philippines. And as for Greece? They joined Brazil, Turkey and Finland as the beneficiaries of great charity from the FIBA World Cup organizers. Each of those nations received a wild card entry. In the back of their minds, the Greeks know they didn’t earn it this time around. The Philippines did.