By Paolo Mariano
(July 7, 2024) – When you see Justin Brownlee complaining, you know something’s wrong.
Usually a textbook image of composure, Brownlee concocted a frown and bellowed in protest after getting whistled for his second foul.
Frustration crept on the normally even-keeled forward as Gilas Pilipinas struggled to reclaim the lead against Brazil in the third quarter of their knockout semifinals match in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) on Saturday in Riga, Latvia.
When Georginho De Paula, who had zero points in their first two games, swished a high-looping Hail Mary from the corner with the shot clock winding down in the fourth quarter, the message was clear: It was that kind of evening for Brazil. Ola!
Gilas Pilipinas suffered a 71-60 defeat and bid au revoir to making it to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The clear underdog against the world no. 12, Gilas Pilipinas had an impressive first half, leading by seven at halftime, 33-27. Once again, the national team audaciously consorted with destiny.
But destiny said: Maybe next time.
The Philippines melted in the third quarter. The worst 10-minute stretch of the country in the tournament came at the worst time. Brazil hunkered down and got physical. It felt like five Christ the Redeemers—with arms stretched in a perfect lateral—were defending the floor. Coach Tim Cone’s men couldn’t buy a shot even with a free coupon. They had the same number of points and turnovers: Six.
The Philippines shot 3 of 15 in the third period, including nine straight misses. Attempts that usually worked—a Brownlee floater, a Chris Newsome midrange, a Dwight Ramos three-pointer—did not.
Brownlee getting shackled is as common as a total lunar eclipse. But that’s exactly what happened. A testament to Brazil’s straitjacketing defense. At the risk of sounding blasphemous, the three-time PBA Best Import looked hapless. He finished with 15 points on 5 of 16 shooting. He also had a team-high three turnovers.
“It’s funny, we didn’t expect to be here, but then when we got here, we expected to win. It’s very painful that we didn’t, especially after having the halftime lead,” said Cone in the postgame media conference. “The start of the third quarter was painful to watch.”
“It just takes one night. You don’t show up and play your best, and then you lose. That’s how the good teams are here,” added Ramos, who scored 11 points in the first quarter but only had two more afterward.
Brazil had an answer for every comeback attempt of the Philippines in the final salvo. His name was Marcelinho Huertas. He took out the last two vowels of his surname and put the hurt on Gilas Pilipinas with his steady playmaking and timely scoring. He tallied 13 points, nine in the payoff period, and seven assists.
A veteran of many international tournaments, the 41-year-old’s methodical generalship was another reminder of how talented NBA-caliber players are, regardless of age.
“Huertas beat us hard on those ball screens and pull-ups. He was doing nice things,” said Cone. “We just didn’t bring our best tonight.”
Brazil, with seven players with NBA experience, did all the right things in the second half. The Philippines did not. That was the story.
But in sports, the result is not always the end of the story. At times, it is the start. For Cone, what they accomplished in three games in the FIBA OQT should be the start of something bigger.
“It’s a growth experience for us. It’s kind of like a now-we-know moment. Now we know we can compete. So, how can we get that next step to get a little bit better and not just compete but win,” said Cone.
Disagreeing with Cone is a fool’s errand. But you could argue that it’s not a now-we-know but we-always-knew. Fans always knew that the Philippines could compete on the world stage. The 2012 Jones Cup. The 2014 FIBA World Cup. The 2016 FIBA OQT. Against Serbia in the 2020 FIBA OQT. The 2023 FIBA World Cup. The problem is not competitiveness but continuity.
“We’re going to hopefully keep these guys together over the next three to four years going into the next World Cup,” said Cone.
Only Brownlee, 38, Japeth Aguilar, 37, and June Mar Fajardo, 34, are probably not going to be around when that time comes. But the rest of the current core would presumably be at their peak. Then there’s AJ Edu, Rhenz Abando, Jordan Heading, Justine Baltazar, and young prospects who could don the national colors.
The challenge is to build on the latest experience.
In every defeat, the most consoling thing to do is find the silver lining. Gilas Pilipinas had lots of it in the FIBA OQT. Not to overlook its seminal win over Latvia, but perhaps the national fleet’s biggest accomplishment was finally extinguishing the toxicity that cloaked the national team.
In previous years, Gilas Pilipinas was a polarizing topic. A win here and there would press pause on the hate. But ultimately, the overriding feeling was negative. Every lineup was castigated. Every loss was pilloried. Every comment was magnified. Everything became exhausting, over-the-top, and, quite frankly, ridiculous.
But for a nation with higher standards for basketball players than public officials, it was par for the course. The collective frustration had merit.
These days, the air surrounding the national team is charged with a genuine sense of adoration. Of optimism. Of respect. Of gratitude. Of support.
You can feel it. Right?
Negative quips and unsolicited suggestions that previously pervaded social media when discussing Gilas Pilipinas are now mostly gone. Before, a double-digit loss in a crucial game automatically made fans bring out pitchforks, leaving a thick-braided rubble of vitriol and mean-spirited memes.
Now, it’s “Thank you, Gilas!” It’s “Good game, Gilas!” It’s “We’re proud of you!” It’s “This team is special.”
Capturing the gold medal in last year’s Asian Games was the impetus for the resuscitated zeal for Gilas Pilipinas. Indeed, winning changes everything. But even if Cone and his wards fell short of their goal in the FIBA OQT, no one’s complaining. You know something’s right.
Really, when was the last time everyone was honestly rooting for Gilas Pilipinas? No drama. No acrimony. All love.
In this age when hate has become a currency, that’s a huge win.
But of course, the story shouldn’t end there.
“It’s an incredible disappointment for us (that we didn’t win). We’re not going to jump up and down and say, ‘Yay, we did our thing and everybody was proud of us.’ Hopefully, that doesn’t get into our mindset,” said Cone. “We need to keep pushing, moving forward, and getting better.”
