The battle may be over for Gilas Pilipinas, but the war has just begun.
Without waving the white flag, the Philippines marches on defiantly, despite going 0-3 in the Group Phase. Instead, the focus now shifts to two classification games that will ultimately decide the team’s fate in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
At stake in these two remaining matches – with the first one scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 31 – could be a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics. In these Olympics, the region will be represented by the highest-placed Asian team in the World Cup.
The second game is scheduled for Sep. 2.
The final positioning in Group B remains undetermined. However, Serbia, with a 2-0 record as of Tuesday, even in the absence of NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of the world champion Denver Nuggets, appears secure at No. 1.
This leaves Asian powerhouses like China, Puerto Rico, or South Sudan as potential tickets to Paris for Gilas Pilipinas, with final placings set to be known by Wednesday.
The Filipinos will need all the support they can muster on Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, and for good reason. Despite dropping all three Group A games, the Olympic dream remains alive and beating in the heart of every Filipino.
Gilas Pilipinas will take on the third and fourth placers in Group B in decisive matchups.
Another sellout crowd, all donning blue as a show of solidarity with the brave, is expected. The clash will begin at 8:00 PM, with Gilas Pilipinas preparing for another tough fight.
“We’re super motivated. I think we’ve been motivated from the very beginning. Our team is strong. We fight and never give up throughout the game,” said Jordan Clarkson after Gilas Pilipinas’ brave stand against Italy fell just short, 90-83.
“Basketball is a game of missed shots, ups, and downs. We string together runs and we go out there competing until the final horn,” Clarkson added.
Clarkson believes it’s only a matter of time for the Philippines to find the winning formula and make one last push to get over the hump after coming close in its games against the Dominican Republic, Angola, and Italy.
“We haven’t really felt like we’ve been out of any games. We fight. We’re strong, and we can put it together and try to get these two games. We know what it means, and we know what it means for the country. We are leaving it all out on the floor,” vowed the main man of Gilas Pilipinas.
The race for the sole Olympic slot in Asia remains wide open, even though the Filipinos and the rest of the Asian teams are chasing down Japan. Japan gained a head start after finishing the first round with a 1-2 record.
With Gilas Pilipinas carrying its 0-3 record over to the classification phase, the Nationals hope that Japan and other Asian teams lose all their games while they sweep their assignments to finish the tournament as the best-placed Asian team.
Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes had Paris in mind even before the Italy game.
“We need to put together 40 minutes of good basketball because we want to go to the Olympics,” Reyes said.
“I’m not thinking of the numbers. Ang iniisip ko, makapunta sa Olympics.”
