By Ashley Bercasio
The Philippine men’s national basketball team needs to overcome a Yuta Watanabe-led Japan squad in the knockout playoffs to keep its flickering hopes alive in the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup.
Gilas Pilipinas lost to the Tall Blacks, 92-75, on Sunday, July 17, at Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia to finish third in Group D with a 1-2 win-loss card.
Despite tallying just a single turnover, Gilas could not overcome the taller Kiwis, who outrebounded the Filipinos, 28-61.
Further, New Zealand was sharper from three-point territory, converting on 11 of its 30 treys compared to the national squad’s six.
Group C second seed Japan, on the other hand, ended the group phase with a 2-1 record after wins against Syria and Kazakhstan and a loss to Iran.
According to head coach Chot Reyes, they need to quickly forget what happened against New Zealand to have a fighting chance against Japan.
“We have to forget this game because the next team we’re playing plays a different type of ballgame,” Reyes said.
“We told the players that they have to get the rest because we’ll need a lot of energy and all of our quickness to stay with Japan.”
The Philippines and Japan will tangle on Tuesday, July 19, at 10:00 p.m. (Manila time). – bny
