RP five repeats over China

TOKUSHIMA, Japan – For San Miguel-Team Pilipinas, no consolation is bigger than this.

The RP quintet bucked tremendous odds, bad breaks and unfavorable calls as they repeated over the Chinese, hacking out a gripping 78-76 win to finish ninth in the 2007 FIBA-Asia men’s championship at Asty Tokushima here yesterday.

Kelly Williams canned in two charities with time down to 2.7 seconds and the team watched Yong Wang miss a potential game-winning three-point attempt at the buzzer as the Nationals squeaked past the Chinese, ending their stint here on a good note.

Sweeping four games in the classification round after narrowly missing the quarterfinals, the RP team matched the country’s ninth-place finish in 1997 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“This is a modest gift but I hope the Filipino people will accept this. If they’re here, they can see how we fought despite the odds. Injuries and all, the boys came through, beating China one more time,” said coach Chot Reyes.

“This is a great way to end the tourney. I think no other team can boast beating China twice in one tourney. I’m proud of the team. We’ve shown that we can compete with anybody. Hopefully, the next time around, we’ll be playing for more than ninth place,” said delegation head Noli Eala.

“The team is worth supporting. They did their best. What we have achieved here is some measure of respect. This is our (the PBA’s) first time in FIBA-Asia and we’ve done the first part of our journey to the championship. Hopefully, the next national team will nurture the respect we’ve gained here leading to winning the championship,” said team manager Robert Non.

The RP team finished with a decent 5-2 win-loss record overall with two victories over China, one each against Syria, India and Kuwait and close defeats to Iran and Jordan.

“Come to think of it, we can finish tied for second in terms of cumulative win-loss record. Pwedeng sabihin madali ang ibang nakalaban namin sa consolation round, pero yung pumasok sa quarterfinals, magaan ang pinagdaanan sa elimination round,” said Reyes.

“To me, when we leave Tokushima, we’ve already achieved a part of what we’re here for. Maybe, with a little stroke of luck and a friendly whistle, we would have been in the finals,” said Eala.

Just the right whistle actually didn’t come the RP team’s way at the finish. A clear goal-tending and backing violations by the Chinese were let go by the referees putting the Nationals on pins and needles in the closing seconds.

But the Nationals did get some good breaks with the Chinese bungling six free throws in the last 1:22 of play – four with the count tied at 76-all in the last 34 seconds.

Taking possession in the last 15 seconds, the Nationals went to Williams who drove strong to the basket and gained a trip to the line on a foul by Ke Li. The Sta. Lucia Fil-Am forward coolly made both charities as the Nationals took the lead and held on to the finish to hand the young Chinese team another heart-rending defeat.

Actually, the Chinese still managed to take a decent attempt to salvage the game but Wang’s open three-point attempt rimmed out at the buzzer.

“I do not know how he even got open,” said assistant coach Jong Uichico, temporarily haunted by his sad Busan experience.

It was a fierce battle from the start with no team leading by more than six points.

Down by five at 64-69, the Nationals worked on a decisive 10-2 run to surge ahead at 74-71 entering the homestretch.