Baldwin ‘di papayag na insultuhin ang Gilas

MANILA, Philippines - Hindi hahayaan ni Gilas Pilipinas coach Tab Baldwin na may mang-iinsulto sa mga kasapi ng kanyang pinamumunuang koponan.

“This is a team that has been unfairly criticized even before it could even play in a game,” wika ni Baldwin.

Bago ang laro laban sa Lebanon ay isinulat ni Baldwin ang mga binanggit na pananalita ng karibal na coach na si Vesilin Matic.

“No Iran, now Philippines. We can play Philippines, easy, easy,” pahayag ni Matic sa The Star.

Ang mga pahayag na ito ng Serbian coach ang nagdagdag-init sa laro ng bawat Gilas para sa 82-70 panalo upang pagbakasyunin na ang Lebanon.

Sina Andray Blatche at Calvin Abueva ang pinaka-emosyonal sa mga manlalaro at laging binabanggit ang mga katagang “easy, easy, easy.”

May isang tagpo pa bago natapos ang laro na tiningnan pa ni Abueva ang isang Lebanese player bago si Matic matapos siyang pumuntos na nagtiyak ng panalo sa koponan.

“They did a lot of moving but you know it’s not really a dance. Perhaps, it was the emotion. Comments were made and the players did take it to heart,” paliwanag ni Baldwin.

Itinuring ni Blatche ang mga salita ni Matic bilang kawalan ng respeto sa kanilang kakayahang manlalaro at isang koponan.

“We worked hard to get where we are at. We didn’t plain say it’s going to be easy. So for a coach to say playing us is going to be plain easy is a big sign of disrespect,” wika ni Blatche na mayroong 24 puntos at 17 rebounds at 2 blocks sa labanan.

“We’re all fired up by (Matic’s) statement. As for me, I really became a lot more determined to come out and battle. I was completely focused on the game,” wika ni Abueva.

“And of course, it was o sweet to beat the  coach and his team,” dagdag pa ni Abueva na may pitong puntos, limang rebounds at dalawang steals bilang isang off-the-bench player.