The question on everyone’s mind as Gilas Pilipinas prepared to face Italy on Tuesday night after two losses in the FIBA Basketball World Cup was whether the team still had any emotional energy left in the tank.
“Yeah, [but] we have to find a way to play 40 minutes of good basketball,” Reyes stated during the team’s practice session on Monday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
“In the first game [against the Dominican Republic], we played 36 minutes, and in the second game [against Angola], we played 24 minutes. So maybe if we can put together 40 minutes… we haven’t been able to complete it.”
In the previous game, in front of a record-high FIBA crowd of 38,115 at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, Gilas Pilipinas held a three-point lead halfway through the fourth quarter against the Dominican Republic and Karl-Anthony Towns, the star from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
However, they succumbed to consecutive three-pointers by the FIBA Americas qualifier and world No. 23 team, resulting in an 87-81 loss.
Two days later, on Sunday, Gilas Pilipinas secured an 11-point lead in the early second quarter against Angola and Bruno Fernando from the Atlanta Hawks at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Unfortunately, the lead vanished before halftime, leading to an eventual 80-70 defeat.
The lost opportunities and a combined 16-point losing margin could haunt the Philippine team if, as Reyes expressed, they fail to play “40 minutes of good basketball” against Italy, ranked 10th in the world.
“We hope we can put it together, that’s the main goal,” Reyes explained. “Since last night [Monday], our objective has been to take the players’ minds off the pressure and expectations, which are both heavy.
“We just want them to enjoy the game and remind them to play their natural style. At this point, they need to rediscover their rhythm.”
Without delving into a detailed breakdown of the Angola game, Reyes pointed out that Gilas Pilipinas’ overall defense wasn’t lacking significantly.
“I don’t believe there’s much more we could have asked from our defense. Although we did concede a couple of open three-pointers yesterday, they still shot below 30 percent from beyond the arc and below 40 percent overall. Our shooting was still better than theirs. Even though our three-point shooting was lacking, we had a higher field goal percentage.”
Angola made 9-of-31 three-point attempts, while the Philippines made 4-of-22, with Jordan Clarkson going 1-of-8.
Reyes highlighted that what truly hurt Gilas Pilipinas was Angola’s dominance on the offensive boards.
“It was the offensive rebounds that really hurt us,” he noted. “They had 20 offensive rebounds, and we had 12, but they managed to secure more.
“Ultimately, it’s about our inability to convert three-point shots. In today’s game, the significance of the three-point shot is emphasized.”
With a Dominican Republic victory over Angola at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, along with a potential decisive win against Italy at 8 p.m., a three-team tie for the No. 2 spot in Group A offers Gilas Pilipinas the strongest chance to advance to the second round of the Group Phase.
Despite the challenges, Reyes remains optimistic, asserting, “All we need to do is put together a consistent performance for 40 minutes.”
