Games Today(Smart Araneta Coliseum)4 p.m. — Angola vs Dominican Republic8 p.m. — Philippines vs Italy
AFTER letting two supposedly “winnable” games slip through their fingers, Gilas Pilipinas is feeling the pressure to get into the win column against powerhouse Italy.
To breathe life into their sagging fortunes as hosts of the FIBA World Cup, the nationals must deliver their very best performance and take down Italy, the group’s top dog, in their final pool assignment tonight at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
And it won’t be enough to simply upset the world No. 3 Azzurri (1-1) in the 8 p.m. matchup to stay afloat in the Group A race to the second round.
The embattled Pinoy cagers need to beat the Italians by 13 points or more while praying the unbeaten Dominican Republic (2-0) defeats Angola (1-1) in the other tussle at 4 p.m.
Under this scenario, the hosts get into a triple tie with Italy and Angola and carry superior quotient in the tiebreaker for the coveted No. 2.
But more than keeping the flickering bid for Round 2 and Asia’s ticket to the Paris Olympics alive, it’s really about restoring the pride of a supportive nation that deserves a rewarding result, nothing less.
“We ain’t going to give up, we’ll keep fighting, we’ll keep competing,” Fil-Am NBA star Jordan Clarkson said.
His teammates are definitely on the same page.
“Laban pa rin kami. May laro pa, hindi kami susuko,” gunner RR Pogoy said.
The 40th-ranked nationals are dire straits after bowing to the Karl-Anthony Towns-powered No. 23 Dominican Republic in a tight contest in front of a record 38,115 crowd at the Philippine Arena, 81-87, and No. 41 Angola before 12,784 fans at the Big Dome, 70-80.
“There’s a game to be played on Tuesday and we’ll prepare as best as we can to play a Top 10 team (Italy). That’s all we can do right now,” according to coach Chot Reyes. “Whatever’s happening to the other teams is not within our control so we can only focus on what’s within our control right now.”
The Philippines is also engaged in an informal competition with other Asian teams for an outright Paris berth. Co-host Japan took the lead after a massive 98-88 comeback win over Finland in Okinawa for a 1-1 card. The rest of the aspirants are still searching for that first W in their respective groups.
“The objective is to get to the Olympics so no matter how flickering that hope is, that hope is still alive. So we still have to keep our heads up and find a way to play our best in the next game,” Mr. Reyes said.
“We hope Japan loses its last game and we win our last game then it’s all tied. I don’t know how they’re going to break that tie but in the end, it’s going to be dependent on the other games. It’s not going to be in our hands. The only thing that is in our control right now is the next game. We can’t worry about the other things that are going on.” — Nelson Beltran