Matthew Dellavedova and the Australia Boomers are looking forward to a much better showing on Monday evening, when they take on the Gilas Pilipinas in the third window of the FIBA World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers.
The 6-foot-4 guard was given a harsh debut in the World Cup Qualifiers following a 78-79 stunner they absorbed in the hands of the Akatsuki Five of Japan this past Friday. It was their very first taste of defeat at the Asian level.
“We respect everyone we’re playing against. They played well, and we didn’t play well.
“So we’re looking to improve our play coming into this game,” said Dellavedova moments after their practice, Sunday at the Philippine Arena.
However, the Milwaukee Buck is aware that it is easier said than done.
The Boomers will be facing a Gilas side that is hard-pressed to get back at them following what happened back in the second window, where the Filipino dribblers were dismantled, 68-84, at the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne.
And not only that.
The momentum is on the side of the home team, as they are coming off a 93-71 victory over rivals Chinese Taipei in Taiwan – by far the Philippines’ most impressive win in the Asian Qualifiers.
“I think they have a good inside-outside presence. The guards are all quick and can penetrate and score, and they’re really aggressive in transition so we need to make sure we get back,” the five-year pro assessed.
“And then, inside, the bigs can feed off the guards’ penetration but they can also post up or put the ball on the floor themselves. So it’s gonna take a team effort defensively to make sure we play good defense for the full forty minutes.”
The winner of Monday’s clash will head into the next round as the leader of Group B. The pressure is now on for the Australians, so for Dellavedova, he and his fellow visitors should all be ready to show up.
“We’re definitely excited for tomorrow night,” said Dellavedova, who is a native of Maryborough, Victoria.
“It’s gonna be a tough game in front of obviously a big, passionate crowd so we gotta be ready to play.”
