Making and defending the triple

There were valuable lessons that Gilas learned from playing Turkey and Poland in friendlies on the way to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia starting today up to Sunday. The biggest takeaway was the three-point shot makes a big difference and even as Gilas had a higher field goal percentage than Turkey and Poland, both battles were decided from beyond the arc.  The key isn’t only about converting the triple but also defending it.

Against Turkey, Gilas hit five-of-15 from three compared to 14-of-41 or a difference of 27 points. The Philippines went 21-of-57 from the floor or 54 percent while Turkey shot 26-of-62 or 42 percent. With the three-point cushion, Turkey won, 84-73. Another painful lesson was Gilas handing out 22 free throws where Turkey shot 18. Gilas, in contrast, shot six-of-seven from the line. The free throw disparity was 12 points. From three-pointers and free throws, Turkey outscored Gilas by 39 points yet won by only 11.

Against Poland, Gilas shot seven-of-17 from three compared to 11-of-24 or a difference of 12 points. The Philippines shot .525 on 21-of-61 from the floor to Turkey’s .459 on 28-of-61. Gilas hit nine-of-14 free throws, missing two in the fourth period while Poland went 15-of-15. Although Poland outscored Gilas by 12 from three and six from the stripe, the final margin was only two. Poland won, 82-80.

Gilas shot over 50 percent from the field in both games while Turkey hit 42 and Poland, 45.9 percent. But if you’re connecting on twos and the other side is knocking down threes, the math will catch up to you in the end. It also didn’t help that Gilas was outscored from the free throw line by Turkey and Poland.

In both friendlies, Gilas won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Turkey, 38-27 and Poland, 42-31. Turnovers were a problem against Poland as Gilas had 23 but a 15-4 edge in offensive rebounds offset the extra possessions. Kai Sotto’s improvement as a passing big was noticeable, averaging 4.5 assists. He also averaged 7.5 points and seven rebounds.

Against Poland, Gilas held its own and finished with an 8-0 run. San Antonio Spurs point forward Jeremy Sochan had eight points in 12:23 minutes but was a minus-five and didn’t play in the second half. In Poland’s previous friendly, Sochan scored seven points in 18:18 minutes as the Poles routed New Zealand, 88-59. Poland’s Mateusz Ponitka had 29 points in the New Zealand romp but only seven in 12:55 minutes against Gilas as he registered a minus-nine. Would Poland’s winning margin have been wider if Sochan and Ponitka played longer? Maybe, maybe not considering their minus numbers.

There are lots of positives to bring to the OQT. Gilas was competitive from start to finish, outrebounded both Turkey and Poland, played unselfishly and never gave up. It won’t be easy in Latvia. Cone said Gilas is out to win but while it’s the goal, it’s not the focus. “Our focus is on the day-to-day process it’s going to take to achieve that goal,” he said.