It was a "growth experience" for Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, according to coach Tim Cone.
Gilas Pilipinas saw its magical campaign in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament snapped by Brazil on Saturday, July 6.
The world No. 12 squad banked on a furious third quarter outburst to emerge victorious, 71-60, and arrange a final battle against host team Latvia for the lone berth in Paris 2024.
The Nationals did race off to a hot start against the Brazilians but could not quite keep their feet on the gas pedal as the more physical Brazilians imposed their will inside and outside with former NBA players Marcelinho Huertas and Bruno Caboclo leading the charge.
[RELATED STORY: FIBA OQT: Gilas Pilipinas' Olympic dream ends at hands of Brazil in semis]
Gilas head coach Tim Cone did not hide his disappointment after the match at the Arena Riga but remained hopeful for the future of the program.
His charges will convene anew in November for the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers.
But before that, here are a few takeaways from the Brazil game:
14-0
That was all Brazil needed to turn things around after a sloppy first 20 minutes of play.
The green-and-gold opened the second half with a 14-0 tear to gain the lead for the first time at 41-33 and wrested control from there after being down by as many as 12 points in the second period.
Brazil ended up outgunning Philippines, 24-6, in the pivotal third. Gilas, meanwhile, struggled to recover from that merciless assault from the South Americans.
Justin Brownlee is human, too
Before the semifinal bout, Justin Brownlee had been at the center of Gilas’ fairytale run in the OQT with averages of 27 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists.
Brownlee, who Kai Sotto dubbed as the “Michael Jordan of the Philippines,” naturally had a target on his back in the semifinals.
“He (coach Aleksander Petrovic) told us to try to stop him (Brownlee) because he was shooting the ball like 20 times a game,” Brazil's Georginho De Paula said of Brownlee, who converted 54.4 percent of his field goals prior to their matchup.
[RELATED STORY: Justin Brownlee takes responsibility for Gilas Pilipinas crashing out of FIBA OQT vs. Brazil]
Brazil's defense worked wonders.
The naturalized Filipino finished with a relatively measly 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting from the field on Saturday, including 3-for-7 from the three-point area. He also had a team-high three turnovers.
Kai Sotto is a big loss, literally and figuratively
Kai Sotto had to sit out the Brazil game owing to a rib injury he sustained against Georgia in the group stage.
Cone said that hurt the national team badly in the penultimate stage. Sotto, after all, was the second best scorer when Gilas pulled the rug from under Latvia with his 18 points he spiked with eight boards.
“We don’t want to make excuses, but losing Kai was big for us. It took away our depth in the frontline,” said Cone.
[RELATED STORY: FIBA OQT: Tim Cone says injured Kai Sotto’s absence big loss as Gilas succumbs to Brazil in semis]
Gilas still not at full strength
Cone’s Gilas program is still in its infancy.
Save for the Ginebra cagers in the fold, the Nationals are still in the process of mastering the vaunted triangle system that has won Cone 25 championships in the PBA.
Also, former PBA Most Valuable Player Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo and big-man stopper AJ Edu were shelved due to injuries.
A Gilas Pilipinas lineup at full strength could have made a world of difference.
‘Now we know moment’
Filipinos can go toe-to-toe against the best of the best. They can even beat them.
Everyone knew this the moment the 37th-ranled Gilas pulled off a shock 89-80 victory against world No. 6 Latvia in the OQT Group A opener.
Just ask Cone.
“It’s hard to talk about this after you lose, but it’s a growth experience for us. It’s kind of like a 'Now we know' moment. Now we know we can compete,” the American mentor said.
[RELATED STORY: 'Now we know' | After impressive FIBA OQT campaign, Tim Cone insists Gilas needs to keep getting better]
Still, Gilas Pilipinas continued to prove it was there to win and not simply gain learning experience by playing tremendously in the next two games.
[ALSO READ: Puso para sa Bayan: Gilas’ Calvin Oftana, Mason Amos, Kevin Quiambao, and Chris Newsome thankful for FIBA OQT experience]
The Nationals failed to reach the finals, but their tour-de-force performance will be a reminder that this core can definitely go places if they stick together under the winningest coach in the PBA.