Double dose of history on the line as Gilas Pilipinas battle Brazil in FIBA OQT semis

Gilas Pilipinas are two wins away from history, but their journey to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 must begin with this single, important step:

 

Beat Brazil.

 

To up the stakes, a double dose of history will be on the line for Gilas Pilipinas. The Philippines have never beaten Brazil in world basketball competition, with the South American nation taking a 4-0 head-to-head record to Riga, per FIBA.

 

Not to hammer in the obvious, the Philippines also have never been to the Finals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

 

Beating Brazil adds to the history of what has been an already historic FIBA OQT run for Gilas Pilipinas.

 

[Related: FIBA OQT: Gilas Pilipinas schedule, where to watch, and all else you need to know]

 

While Brazil heads into the matchup as the natural favorite, being Group B’s no. 1 seed and ranked no. 12 in the world by FIBA, the team is not without cracks in the armor.

 

For one, Brazil almost got ousted by Cameroon, trailing by as many as 24 points before fighting back to only lose by three, saving them from having inferior quotient and getting eliminated.

 

In Brazil’s first game, the team also had to rally from a 13-point deficit to stun Montenegro in the fourth quarter. Brazil is the second-highest ranked team in Riga, but they are no means invincible.

 

Still, Gilas Pilipinas will have to deal a team that has a bevy of players with NBA experience.

 

[Related: 'We already bought our tickets': Gilas coach Tim Cone bares team surprised with semis-clinching feat in FIBA OQT]

 

Bruno Caboclo is the one to watch, of course, as the former Toronto Raptor leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

 

There’s also former Lakers guard Marcelinho Huertas, who is going for 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in Riga.

 

But on the side of Gilas, the Philippines will not be short of weapons. Chief among them is Justin Brownlee, who leads the Riga OQT in scoring with 27 points per game.

 

Brownlee also leads the Riga OQT with 8.5 assists per game, and is tied for second in rebounds at 8.5 boards per outing. Simply put, the “Michael Jordan of the Philippines” needs to have another Jordanesque game.

 

Another big key for Gilas Pilipinas is rebounding. The Philippines have out-rebounded their last four opponents since coming to Europe for the FIBA OQT trip in Turkey, Poland, Latvia, and Georgia.

 

Aside from Brownlee, June Mar Fajardo, Kai Sotto, Dwight Ramos, and Chris Newsome have crashed the ball well in the starting lineup, but a noted difference would be Sotto’s status for the semifinals.

 

Kai is listed as a game-time decision from Brazil, getting hurt early in the game against Georgia.

 

[Related: 'Hindi ako maka-explode': Kai Sotto hopes for 'miracle' as he looks suit up for Gilas against Brazil in FIBA OQT semis]

 

But whether or not Sotto plays, Gilas Pilipinas will need to take advantage of Brazil having no player taller than 6’9” and win the rebounding battle again, if only to help dictate the tempo of the game in their favor.

 

After winning despite losing against Georgia, Gilas Pilipinas no longer have the luxury of counting quotients from hereon out.

 

"We're not here to win a game, we're here to win a tournament, okay? We're ready to win the whole thing,” coach Tim Cone said ahead of this FIBA OQT trip in Riga.

 

Gilas Pilipinas got their one win. Now it’s time to win the whole thing, and it starts with beating Brazil.