Making the impossible happen

Oddsmakers bit the dust when Gilas shocked Latvia, 89-80, in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament before a stunned hometown crowd last Wednesday night. World No. 6 Latvia was fresh from a 28-point disposal of World No. 23 Georgia and bowed to World No. 37 Philippines. The outcome was totally unexpected and even coach Tim Cone admitted beating Latvia was like a shot in the dark.

The handicap line went up to 32.5 with a 3.7 payout for Latvia and the lowest quote was a 6.5 margin. Latvia was a huge favorite to win and Gilas pulling an upset was just unimaginable. But never underestimate the heart of the Filipino. Gilas went out there to win with nothing to lose and Cone made his troops believe it could be done.

Gilas showed up with rich lessons from two previous friendlies. Although Gilas lost to Turkey and Poland in both tune-ups, Cone proved an Asian team beating a European team isn’t unthinkable. The key takeaway was the probability to win depends on defending and converting the triple. On the global stage, the three-point shot has become the difference maker.

Against Latvia, Gilas shot nine-of-20 from three and hit .484 overall from the field compared to Latvia’s 10-of-42 and .375 overall. Latvia took 58.3 percent of its shots from beyond the arc and Gilas was prepared for it. Gilas took only 32.2 percent of its shots from three. Five Gilas players knocked down at least one triple – Justin Brownlee three, Dwight Ramos and CJ Perez two apiece and Kai Sotto and Kevin Quiambao one each. Seven Latvians fired at least one triple.

Gilas committed 18 turnovers, including seven in the fourth quarter. One was a five-second inbound violation with 1:46 to go and Gilas up, 85-75. In Cone’s system, turnovers are a price to pay. Latvia had only eight errors but Gilas neutralized the advantage by hauling down more rebounds, 43-34. Still, Latvia took more field goal attempts, 72-62.

Defense took Latvia out of its flow. June Mar Fajardo, Sotto and Japeth Aguilar provided protection in the interior. Latvia labored without crack point guard Arturs Zagars who sat out the contest after delivering eight points, three rebounds and six assists in 21:30 minutes against Georgia. Cone noted that Zagars’ absence was significant. Gilas clamped down on NBA veteran Davis Bertans who finished with 10 points on two-of-eight from the field. The 6-10 Bertans took seven of his eight tries from deep, a clear indication of Latvia’s live-or-die reliance on the three-point shot.

Five Gilas players wound up in double figure points compared to four for Latvia. Brownlee led the charge with 26 points. Sotto scored 18, Ramos 12, Fajardo 11 and Chris Newsome 10. Gilas gave up 19 free throws but took 22 so that department was a marked improvement from the friendlies. Latvia had more assists, bench points, fastbreak points, offensive rebounds and turnover points so those areas will be high on Cone’s mind looking forward to the semis.