Total team effort

It wasn’t just a total team effort on the floor that took Gilas to the Asian Games throne in Hangzhou but also a total team effort off the floor. POC and PSC provided support from accreditation to logistics to pushing for recognition of latecomers to incentives. SBP and PBA locked arms in setting the stage for a united front, aligning schedules to form a coaching staff with access to available and eligible players of choice. The private sector got together in the spirit of unity “para sa bayan” with the MVP and San Miguel groups in the saddle to give Gilas the boost to go all out for the gold.

Coach Tim Cone’s troops weren’t only a band of warriors but also a band of brothers, looking out for each other, fighting for a common cause. Cone laid out the scenario for Gilas to succeed in the final – play tough defense, influence Jordan’s shot selection, clamp down on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s supporting cast, keep the ball moving, nobody could stay stagnant, congest the paint, stretch the clock, tire out Jordan’s short rotation and share the wealth. Cone’s magic worked like a charm.

Gilas’ 70-60 win for the gold was the result of everybody buying into Cone’s system and tactics. Gilas wound up with four players scoring in double figures (Jordan had two) and held Jordan to only 10 points in the third quarter. Jefferson had inconsequential backup (Sam Bzai and John Bohannon were muzzled) and gassed out defending Justin Brownlee in the end. Gilas had more bench points, 21-8 and raised its fastbreak output from two in the Jordan preliminary loss to 13 in the final and assists from nine to 19. Jordan took 52 percent of its shots from three-point distance where Gilas dared to goad and it paid off as total field goal marksmanship fell to 26 percent.

SBP chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan said it was “a great feeling to win…Tim Cone was magnificent.” San Miguel Corp. president Ramon S. Ang said “we all supported Gilas together with the PBA team.” SBP president Al Panlilio said it was “a gift from God…hope everyone appreciates the journey we have taken and the tough decisions that had to be made along the way.” SBP chairman Sen. Sonny Angara paid tribute to the “unequivocal” support of MVP, RSA, Panlilio, PBA chairman Ricky Vargas, team manager PBA Ginebra governor/San Miguel Corp. sports director Alfrancis Chua and deputy team manager PBA commissioner Willie Marcial. Angara also congratulated Brownlee and Ange Kouame. “They both share a strong affinity to the Philippines and signified their genuine desire to represent our country,” said Angara who in the Senate, played a key role in enabling their naturalization. “Each and every member of Gilas had to make sacrifices and gave it their all for flag and country and for that, the entire nation thanks them.”