Gilas Pilipinas vs. India: Score and Twitter Reaction for 2014 Asian Games

Gilas Pilipinas got their Asian Games off to a fine start, dispatching of qualifiers India in a comfortable 85-76 victory on Tuesday.

The result was confirmed by the Philippines National Basketball Team Twitter Page:

Marcus Douthit was the standout man for Gilas, scoring 14 points and snaffling 10 rebounds throughout the match. He was astutely assisted by Jeffrei Chan and Gary David, who each scored 14 and 13 points respectively.

The Indian team made it through to the tournament proper after narrowly edging out Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia in the preliminaries. And after their display here, one in which they looked perpetually jaded, you wonder if those earlier efforts have taken their toll.

The Philippines were the big favourites heading into this much-anticipated clash, and ahead of this one, Gilas coach Chot Reyes insisted nothing less than gold would be good enough for this fine crop of players, per Francis T.J. Ochoa of sports.inquirer.net:

"

It will be disappointing if we don’t win the gold medal.

Of course, having said that, we are very well aware that Iran is the No. 1 team here, China is No. 2 and Korea will be very strong because they will play in front of their home crowd.

"

With their coach's galvanising words ringing in their ears, the Philippines began this match with endeavour and intensity. They raced into a 16-0 lead in the early stages thanks in part to a pair of three-pointers from Chan and L.A. Tenorio.

On reflection, basketball writer Nick Bedard thinks this blistering start rendered much of the match invalid:

Their defence was exceptionally diligent in the opening exchanges too, and it took India—who received widespread praise in the build-up for their dominant frontcourt effort—until the eighth minute of the quarter to get on the scoreboard. At the end of the first quarter, Gilas led 24-16.

The second quarter was a much more even affair, as India managed to establish a foothold in the match. Their offense showed much more industry in the second period, and they were able to keep the scoreboard ticking over effectively. 

But they were unable to ever halt the Philippines at the other end, and subsequently, Gilas were able to keep their opponents easily at arm's length. The score read 50-37 in favour of the Philippines at the halfway point.

The third quarter was much the same, as India looked to be establishing themselves in the contest. But they conceded eight unanswered points in less than two minutes courtesy of some marvellous play from Tenorio and Douthit. India looked disheartened and uninspired as the scoreline moved on to 70-56 in favour of Gilas at the end of the third quarter.

Kume Cheetos Salud was especially impressed with the stylistic swagger showcased by Gilas:

A 14-point deficit is by no means insurmountable, but there was a sense that this toiling Indian squad just didn't have what it takes to haul themselves back into the game. They gave themselves brief hope at one point, hauling themselves back to within eight points of Gilas with the scores poised at 84-76.

But there was less than a minute remaining at that juncture, and the Philippines eventually ran out 85-76 winners.

Reyes will have been delighted to get off to a winning start in this coveted tournament, and there was plenty to admire about Gilas' display here. The beginning to the match was scintillating for starters, and the manner at which they kept the scoreboard ticking over to keep India at bay was also impressive.

Indisputably bigger tests will follow for this team as Reyes noted ahead of the match. But this win against India—particularly their performance in the opening quarter—suggests the Philippines are a side capable of going a long, long way in this Asiad.