May pinaghugutan ang Gilas Pilipinas

CHANGSHA – Sa lahat ng pagsisikap na ginawa ng Gilas Pilipinas, hindi makakapayag ang national coach na si Tab Baldwin na insultuhin lamang sila ng kung sino.

“This is a team that has been unfairly criticized even before it could even play in a game,” sabi ni Baldwin na binigyang diin ang pahayag ni Lebanon coach Vesilin Matic sa bisperas ng Gilas-Le-banon match.

“No Iran, now Philippines. We can play Philippines, easy, easy,” ang pahayag ni Matic nang malaman na ang Gilas ang kanilang unang makakaharap sa quarterfinals.

Sa pre-game huddle, isinulat ni Baldwin sa white board ang naging pahayag ni Matic at dinibdib ito ng Nationals para ipakain nila sa Serbian coach ang kanyang sinabi.

Naging mainit si World Cup veteran Jayson Castro para sa Nationals na kumamada ng 12 sa unang 17 points ng Gilas habang si Marc Pingris ang tumapos sa Lebanese sa kanyang tatlong crucial baskets.

Ang panalo ay nagsulong sa Gilas sa  Final Four laban sa Japan na kasalukuyang nilalaro habang sinusulat ang balitang ito.

Dalawang panalo na lang ang layo ng Gilas sa asam na Rio Olympics at nakasisiguro na rin sila ng slot sa  Olympic wild card play sa susunod na taon.

Pero sa tingin ni Baldwin, nag-overreact ang kanyang mga players.

“I’m particularly not happy with our performance. There was a lot of effort that went in, but it’s like somebody who goes out to the dance floor and just shakes himself around,” sabi ng Gilas mentor. “They did a lot of moving but you know it’s not really a dance. And that’s the way it felt for me. Perhaps, it was the emotion. Comments were made and the players did take it to heart.”

Naging emosyunal sa lahat sina Andray Blatche at Calvin Abueva na parehong sumisigaw ng “easy, easy, easy” nang halos sigurado na sa panalo ang Gilas sa naturang importanteng laro.

“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 dis-respect,” sabi ni Blatche.

“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,” sabi naman ni Abueva. “And, of course, it was so sweet to beat the coach and his team.”