Among the concerns of Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone weeks prior to the 30th Southeast Asian Games was how he would ensure that his crew laden with PBA stars would not play like an all-star team.
But with the way the Filipino dribblers delivered in their opening match, that has seemingly been addressed.
Gilas played mercilessly and tore Singapore apart by 52 points, 110-58, to start its bid of winning the Philippines’ 18th SEA Games gold medal on a strong note, Wednesday evening.
The PBA’s winningest bench tactician, of course, felt pleased with what he just saw from his chargers.
“All-Star Games are loosey-goosey. Guys can take up any shot they want, they’ll play defense when they feel like it. But our guys took a serious approach,” said Cone moments after the match.
“I think they’re trying to show the country that they’re gonna take a serious approach and respect the game, respect the opponent, and come out and play hard, play the game right.”
But Cone was particularly proud of Gilas’ defense, citing Chris Ross as an example.
The San Miguel Beermen guard brought his brand of defense to his Gilas debut, smothering the jump shot of Singapore’s veteran guard Wong Wei Long in the game’s very first possession.
“What I’m most proud of about is that first play of the game when Chris Ross blocked the shot of Long. He’s their star player and right off the bat, we sent the message that we’re gonna play defense. And I’m hoping we can sustain our defense as we go along and improve it as we go along. Guys are locked in on the defensive side. That, as a coach, is looking for the most,” Cone said.
“I know they’re gonna do their thing offensively, but I still want them to focus on the defensive side.”
Still, the 61-year-old mentor reminded that they have only played one game. And they now have their sights on Friday’s match versus Vietnam, where he expects a tougher challenge.
“We scouted them this morning, they got six Viet-Americans on their team. They’ll be a lot better than Singapore. We expect a much tougher battle against Vietnam,” Cone said.
“We think they’re one of the teams to beat out here, so we got to be ready for them.”
