The wins may be hard to come by, but Gilas Pilipinas’ effort gives head coach Chot Reyes something to be optimistic about.
Gilas Pilipinas remained winless in its FIBA World Cup buildup in Europe after it absorbed an 89-85 loss to Finland at the Kalev Sports Hall in Tallinn, Estonia on Wednesday, June 28.
It was the second straight defeat for the Philippines in its set of tuneup games in Europe after bowing to Estonia, 81-71, a day prior.
Still, Reyes lauded his wards for giving Finland and Estonia a run for their money despite enduring sluggish starts in both matches.
“It’s obvious that we’re still very far from any kind of competitive game shape, but we’re not supposed to be in game shape yet at this point because we have to make sure that we peak at the right time,” said Reyes.
“We don’t want to peak too early and burn out in the end. That’s all part of the process and I’m very happy.”
Buried by as deep as 11-29 early in the second quarter, the Philippines chipped away at its deficit and got within 6 points, 79-85, with 45 seconds remaining.
Finland, though, built a lead big enough to survive a pair of late three-pointers from Scottie Thompson inside the final 15 seconds and escape with the win.
It would have been a different story for the Philippines if not for its lethargic start that saw it end the opening period trailing 11-26 as it outscored Finland in each of the last three quarters.
“I think it’s just a matter of getting used to the FIBA pace. We’re still on PBA starting pace and that’s why these games are so valuable to us,” said Reyes.
“There’s no way we can tell them, we can show them on video, we can explain unless they actually experience it and feel it how hard these teams start from the tip, from the get-go.”
Dwight Ramos remained a steady presence for the Filipinos as he put up a team-high 15 points with 3 rebounds and 2 blocks against Finland, a superb follow-up to his 16-point, 5-rebound, 2-steal showing against Estonia.
Thompson also made his presence felt with 10 points and 4 assists after sitting out the Estonia match due to back spasms.
Justin Brownlee churned out 11 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals, June Mar Fajardo finished with 10 points and 4 rebounds, while Rhenz Abando provided quality playing time by scoring 8 points on 3-of-3 shooting in just 11:30 minutes.
Still without NBA All-Star Lauri Markkanen, who is currently completing his military service, Finland banked on Miro Little and Jacob Grandison.
Little, a Baylor University commit, topscored for the Finnish with 19 points on top of 5 assists and 4 steals, while Grandison of Duke University posted an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double.
“Very happy with our effort, it’s not perfect, there’s still a lot of improvement, but I think it’s a very good first step,” said Reyes.
From Estonia, Gilas Pilipinas will travel to Lithuania, where the national team is slated to play at least four games, according to Reyes.
“Those are going to be good tests for us,” he said.
