The team, after all, reclaimed the throne.
Filipino fans were probably waiting for coach Chot Reyes to call for a timeout in the dying moments of the Philippines-Cambodia match with the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games men’s basketball gold already a guarantee for the visiting side.
It didn’t come, of course. Reyes is better than that.
Instead, the seasoned tactician opted to show sportsmanship and shook hands with counterpart Harry Savaya as Gilas Pilipinas reclaimed the throne with a convincing 80-69 win over the naturalized player-laden host team at the Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh on Tuesday.
In their group stage meeting, Reyes and Savaya traded barbs after the latter sued for an unnecessary timeout with only 20.7 seconds remaining and Cambodia only waiting for the final score. The home squad won, 79-68.
Reyes later aired his dismay over Savaya, who also made a “night-night” gesture after the match, when he faced Filipino reporters.
“That’s not even coaching ethics, that’s just ethics,” he said.
In the end, the ultimate revenge for the Philippine contingent was the gold medal they proudly flaunted on Tuesday night.
“Sarap sana mag-timeout nung huli, 'di ba?” he said. “Kung bastos sila, tayo hindi. We always talk about playing the game the right way.”
(With reports from Carlo Pamintuan, One Sports)
(GM)