Spark Arena may be located in Auckland, but for long stretches of Friday’s FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers clash, it sounded more like Manila.
Thousands of Filipino supporters packed the venue, drowning out the home crowd and creating an atmosphere that even New Zealand head coach Judd Flavell admitted felt like a road game.
“When you’ve got a crowd like the Philippines that turn up every game, it feels like an away game,” Flavell said after the Tall Blacks escaped with a thrilling 106-102 double-overtime victory over Gilas Pilipinas.
“That crowd might have been louder than what they were in Manila.”
The Filipino fans roared after every Gilas basket, particularly during the Philippines’ spirited comeback from a 12-point deficit and its late surge, where it took a 100-96 lead in the second overtime behind an AJ Edu dunk and a Justin Brownlee three-pointer.
“There is something to be said about the noise and the momentum of the game. That can sometimes, for athletes or competitors in those moments, throw some different types of dynamics at you in the battle arena,” Flavell said.
“I’m just really glad with our way because that game could have gone away. I forget, but we might have been down by four or something. We clawed our way back. Every possession is so important.”
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With the crowd firmly behind Gilas, the Tall Blacks answered through execution.
Flavell pointed to a perfectly-timed high-low action that freed Sam Mennenga for a crucial dunk in the closing stretch, one of several plays that helped swing the momentum back in favor of the hosts.
“We didn’t have a lot in the playbook, but we executed a great high-low down the stretch there. We got Sam open for a dunk,” he said. “Those are the things I think we get better at when we are together longer.
“Once again, holding our nerve and being able to figure things out. I said to the group I do depend on them to be problem solvers out there. That’s where, obviously, some of the experience comes in.”
Reuben Te Rangi echoed his coach’s sentiments, saying the Tall Blacks made it a point to stay connected every time the Filipinos erupted.
“For me and the players, I think we’ve just got to stay together,” said Te Rangi, who finished with a team-high 22 points. “A lot of those moments — almost hitting a big three, crowd going wild — it can throw you off your game.
“But I thought we did a good job of huddling, moving on to the next play, and sticking with it. We had a lot of moments that could have broken us, and we stuck with it and did a good job in that game.”
Despite playing nearly 8,000 kilometers away from home, Gilas once again enjoyed overwhelming support from the Filipino community abroad — a reality head coach Tim Cone said has become one of the program’s greatest blessings.
“You know, it’s just something we have everywhere we go, and it’s really an amazing thing,” Cone said. “It doesn’t matter where we go: the Middle East, Europe, other parts of Asia, or here Down Under, whether it’s New Zealand or Australia. We have those crowds.
“It’s so easy for us to get used to them and almost take them for granted, but we forget how unique that is. I don’t think any other national team in the world really has that kind of following.”
Cone admitted that the unwavering support also makes every defeat sting even more.
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“That makes it even tougher when we don’t deliver for them. We didn’t deliver tonight,” he said. “Obviously, we played with a lot of pride, and I think they’ll take pride in the way we played. But the bottom line is we’ve got to win games for them, and we didn’t tonight.
“Because they’re there and because they give us so much support, when we do fail, it’s a lot harder to take as a group. We really take it hard when we don’t play well in front of what feels like our home crowd.”
The veteran mentor then lightened the mood when asked about the overwhelming Filipino support, joking that the loudest cheers were not necessarily for the entire team but for Dwight Ramos.
“Only the girls, by the way,” Cone quipped.
Ramos, one of Gilas’ most popular players, said the overseas Filipino community’s presence is something the team never overlooks.
“It means a lot. Everywhere we go, we almost have a home crowd,” Ramos said. “We never really play in an empty gym because there are Filipinos everywhere, and it means a lot to play for the country and see Filipinos from all around the world supporting us.
“I never take it for granted coming here. I just try my best and try to always be available for the team.”
