Tim Cone had been on the wrong side of too many close games lately.
So when Gilas Pilipinas finally found itself on the winning end of an overtime thriller, the veteran coach could only marvel at the way it all unfolded.
“Well, I mean it was fantastic.”
The 82-81 victory over Jordan on Friday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena ended a painful four-game losing skid for Gilas in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, where the Philippines suffered three- and four-point defeats to New Zealand in the first round.
After enduring those heartbreaking losses, Cone simply felt grateful to finally experience a close game from the other side.
“It was fun to be a part of. It was fun to be on this side — winning,” he said.
” I know how tough it is; against New Zealand, we were on the other side of it in overtime and losing these really, really important World Cup qualifiers.”
The victory could easily have gone the other way, especially after the Philippines fell behind by double digits in the first half. But Cone’s adjustments, particularly his decision to go small and quick, helped spark Gilas’ comeback.
“I really believe in our big lineup, and we tried to go out there and overpower them. But it didn’t really work, so we went smaller and quicker.”
CJ Perez emerged as the catalyst for that shift, scoring 16 points on 50-percent shooting while helping Gilas raise the tempo on both ends of the floor.
“CJ led the charge, and he was able to get to the rim and really change the tempo of the game,” Cone said.
Perez’s impact went beyond his scoring, as he also assisted on Kevin Quiambao’s go-ahead three-pointer that gave Gilas its final lead of the night.
With plenty of players deserving of praise in what became a complete team effort, Cone also made sure to highlight his biggest star, Kai Sotto.
“It comes down to defense, and Kai came up big with that huge block at the end to win it for us,” Cone said.
Sotto finished with a double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds, but his biggest contribution came in the game’s final moments when he denied Jordan’s last attempt to preserve the one-point victory.
Perhaps the most uncanny part of the night, however, was how closely the game followed Cone’s pregame message.
Before tip-off, the Gilas coach wrote on the locker room whiteboard: “grind it – one point win.”
That prediction turned into reality several hours later.
“There’s a reason for that. When you’re working for a one-point win, you have to value every possession. That’s really the point of that. We’re not necessarily looking for a one-point win, but we’re trying to play as if it’s going to be that,” he explained.
“It means valuing each possession defensively and offensively.”
With the Philippines needing to win five of its remaining six games to keep its World Cup hopes alive, Cone believes that mindset will be crucial moving forward.
“But I certainly would have preferred a 10-point win. But at this point, we’re just trying to stay alive and keep fighting for that World Cup.”
The fight continues on Sunday, when Gilas Pilipinas faces Iran at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
