In a span of four days, Gilas Pilipinas played three tune-up games against three professional club teams: last Wednesday night against the NLEX Road Warriors; last Friday evening versus the Blackwater Elite; and Saturday afternoon opposite the Alaska Aces.
All those friendlies were tight, but the Nationals managed to come out on top. They won over the PBA teams by an average margin of 2.7 points, with their widest margin coming from their win over the Elite at four, 105-101.
Their games against the pro squads only brought out the best in Gilas. And for Kiefer Ravena, those outings are also a good test for the team, as they are gearing up for the 2017 William Jones Cup in Taiwan on July 15-23.
“That’s a good test for us, especially next Friday aalis na kami,” said the 23-year-old combo guard, who lifted his side to a 120-117 win over the Aces through his cold-blooded triple from the wing in the game’s waning seconds.
“It’s nice to be part of close games to see and to test who we are, and kung nasaan pa yung mga pwede pa namin iimprove.”
The two-time UAAP Most Valuable Player, who finished with 14 markers versus Alaska, also lauded his team’s progress in the tune-ups they played.
“Yung progression ng game namin, dahan-dahan — from a terrible first game, to a better second game, and ngayon, after a tough Alaska team, kahit papaano, we were able to grind one out,” said Ravena.
All the exhibition games were played under PBA rules, meaning all matches were played with 12-minute quarters. And for Ravena, playing under the pro rules also helped him personally as he still contemplates on joining the Draft.
“Being in this kind of competition, it’s also for me personally to see where I am, to see what to improve on, and it helps me in making a decision for the Draft.”
