Fiba Asia: Gilas faces Kazakhstan in quarterfinals
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 09 Aug 2013
MANILA (PNA) -- Whatever Philippine coach Chot Reyes wants, Chot Reyes gets. Reyes had been very vocal in his wish that the Philippine team not to meet defending champion China early in the on-going FIBA Asia World Championship qualifying tournament the country is hosting.
Reyes got his wish, thanks to Qatar, which beat erstwhile Group E leader Chinese Taipei, 71-68, at the end of the elimination round Wednesday that gifted the Filipino the top spot in that bracket. The Qataris? win sent the Filipinos, who looked to be ranged against the Chinese in the quarterfinal round, will face instead Kazakhstan in the race for the Final Four slots which starts Friday.
A day earlier, after disposing off the Qataris themselves 80-70 and the Chinese struggled to stay in contention, while the Taiwanese were poised to assume the no. 1 post in the group Reyes was even quoted by media to have said, ?Pending a miracle, I think we just arranged a showdown with China in the quarterfinals. If that happens, so be it.?
The Philippines looked destined to finish second to Taiwan in the group and the Chinese fated to windup fifth in Group E that their early meeting seemed inevitable. But the Qataris had something else in mind and, playing their best performance in the then six-day old tournament, took the measure of the Taiwanese, who, thus, dropped to second behind their topnotcher
hosts.
The Philippines had beaten the Kazakhs in their pre-tournament tune-up match but Reyes himself dismissed the notion that it could used as gauge in assessing his boys chances in the knockout quarterfinals.
Losers in the round of eight which also pits Group F top team Iran against Jordan, Taipei against China and South Korea against Qatar will be relegated to the also ran phase of the tournament while the winners advance to the semifinal round which will determine the two teams that will dispute the title. ?No, we can?t discount Kazakhstan despite it being taken lighter than the Chinese,? Reyes told the Philippines News Agency on the eve of his boys? showdown with the Kazakhs. ?Not even the fact that we won in our tune-up game because that?s completely a different game.?
Reyes? sentiment was shared by PH co-captain L A Tenorio, Ranidel de Ocampo and Marc Pingris.
?No, hindi dapat bale-walain ang Kazakahstan, one of the pre-tournament favorites din yan,? Tenorio said in a separate interview. ?Malalaki din sila at magagaling.?
?Wala ka namang dapat piliin. Pare-parehong malalakas lahat ng team na kasali dito, so kailangan laban lang,? De Ocampo, for his part, said.
?Kahit sinong makalaban sa mga yan kailangan naka-focus kami para manalo.? Pingris agreed, saying to win, they have to think that they?re playing for country and flag.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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