Guarded optimism

There were bright and not-so-bright moments for the Philippines in Gilas’ 100-70 win over Indonesia in the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in Jakarta last Sunday. Coach Mark Dickel did a solid job of rotating his players and giving everyone a chance to soak in the experience, particularly as five of his 12 men had never before suited up with the Gilas seniors.

Of the 12 players, 10 saw action for at least 10 minutes, five for at least 20. Only Justin Chua and Isaac Go reported for less than 10 minutes but they had several turns on the court, meaning no single entries. Thirdy Ravena was the most productive Gilas player with 23 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Four others hit in double figures – R. R. Pogoy 16, C. J. Perez 11, Kiefer Ravena 10 and Juan Gomez de Liaño 10. At least twice, Dickel sent in the Ravena brothers together and they brought electricity to the game. In one action sequence, Kiefer lobbed the ball to Thirdy on the break for a connection and one. 

The 30-point win wasn’t like it was a blowout from the onset. After Gilas opened a 16-point lead in the second period, Indonesia refused to roll over and die. The hosts opened the second half with a 6-0 blast and suddenly, Gilas’ lead was down to three, 37-34. Gilas recoiled to build a 10-point cushion but Indonesia struck back to trim the gap to four, 55-51. Then, the Ravenas went to work and detonated a 12-0 bomb to silence the home crowd for good.

The fourth quarter was a runaway. Only three Indonesians scored but one of them, Abraham Grahita, tallied 12. He’s a 5-10 guard who should’ve been defended harder. Thirdy didn’t score in the last 10 minutes but seven Gilas players combined for 33 points in a fiery wind-up. 

Because Indonesia had virtually no inside presence, Gilas dominated the boards, 55-33, grabbed more offensive rebounds, 23-7, scored more points in the paint, 50-22, and shot more second chance points, 18-10. With those numbers, Gilas should’ve at least hit 50 percent from the floor but didn’t. Gilas settled for 43 percent, 45.8 percent from two-point distance and 37 percent from beyond the arc (10-of-27). None of the bigs (Poy Erram, Abu Tratter, Chua and Troy Rosario) delivered twin digits. Against a much smaller Indonesian team, the Philippines should have frolicked in the interior. Gilas’ average height is 6-4, two inches more than Indonesia’s. Yet Indonesia finished with more blocked shots, 5-3.

Two guards were responsible for 64 percent of Indonesia’s output. Grahita had 17 points and 5-8 Andakara Prastawa Dhyaksa 28, including 11 in the first quarter. Considering Indonesia’s bigs were largely impotent, surely it would’ve been easier to focus defensively on the two guards.

Gilas was tagged 26 fouls and Indonesia, 17. In the third period, the Philippines got into penalty situation with 6:58 left and Indonesia capitalized to score eight free throws. Indonesia got away with several travels but was handicapped by three unsportsmanlike fouls. Gilas scored heavily on the break, scoring more transition points, 23-5, often triggered by steals. Gilas finished with more swipes, 15-6, and turnover points, 20-14. But there were instances when Gilas gambled too much in reaching in, picking up unnecessary fouls.

Overall, Gilas took good care of the ball, registering only 11 turnovers to Indonesia’s 16. That’s despite only a few weeks of practice. If Dickel had more time with the players, he would’ve surely liked to see more defensive schemes, like traps and squeeze plays. 

If an undersized Indonesian team gave Gilas trouble up to the middle of the third quarter, imagine if 6-10 naturalized player Lester Prosper and 6-5 Indonesian-American Brandon Jawato played. Indonesia coach Rajko Toroman described Jawato as the best player in the local league. Prosper couldn’t play because his naturalization papers aren’t done while Jawato is injured. If they played, Indonesia’s rotation would’ve gone deeper and Toroman would’ve had an inside force to complement his backcourt gunners. Gilas would’ve been more challenged.

For a first outing, Gilas didn’t do badly under Dickel. No one can argue against the bottom line and Gilas won by 30. But there were bumps along the way to victory and they’ve got to be addressed soon if Gilas hopes to be competitive against South Korea in the second window in November.