China vs. Gilas Pilipinas: Score and Twitter Reaction for 2014 Asian Games
Gilas Pilipinas suffered their third defeat in four matches after they lost 78-71 to China at the Asian Games in Incheon.
The result heaps even more pressure on the Philippines basketball coach Chot Reyes, who has received criticism aplenty following the team's underwhelming performances at the 2014 Asiad.
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Lots was expected of Gilas in these championships, but a pair of losses in their first two quarter-final matches meant qualification for the semi-finals looked unlikely, and the team’s chances of a medal were gone when they could only beat Kazakhstan by a two-point margin last time out.
Reyes has come in for heavy criticism following some abject displays. But Tim Cone—the popular coach of the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers—tweeted his support for the boss, insisting that he remains the right man for the job:
The clash with China was a chance for Gilas to salvage some pride following those poor displays, but after coming under such forensic scrutiny since the clash with Kazakhstan, it was little surprise that they started the match a little tentatively.
The first quarter was a very cagey affair, and neither team’s defence was dominant enough to establish any kind of sustained pressure at one end of the court. It was the Chinese who were just about edging things though, and a late pair of free throws gave them a 21-17 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Throughout the match there was an obvious intention from the Gilas coaching staff to show a little more endeavour in their duties, and they were clearly keen on securing victory despite having no chance of a gold medal. Reyes was probably getting a little too into things though, as noted here by Reuben Terrado:
His coaching staff were making themselves known too, but as Nick Bedard notes here, it was all a little too late in the day:
In truth, this exuberance from the sidelines didn’t transcend onto the court anyway, as China enjoyed the better of things in the second period. A spell of eight unanswered points put them well on top and at this stage of the match, Gilas were beginning to look a little disheartened. At the end of the second quarter, China had established a healthy eight-point lead with the score at 42-34.
The third period followed a similar script. For long spells there was little between the two sides, but a blitz of baskets from the Chinese team allowed them to streak ahead. They scored ten unanswered points in the space of two minutes to leave Gilas shellshocked and chasing a 15-point deficit midway through the third quarter.
It gave the Chinese a cushion and, try as they might, the Philippines were kept at arm's length throughout the third period as the two sides traded points regularly. Three quarters of the way through the match, Gilas were 12 points down with the score standing at 65-53.
Marcus Douthit has been a figure of much controversy throughout this tournament—Reyes omitted him from the match with South Korea for "disciplinary reasons", per gmanetwork.com—but once again he was showing his worth for the Philippines, as noted here by Terrado:
With nothing to lose in the final quarter, Gilas came out firing. They looked to have caught the Chinese off guard initially and six unanswered points moved them back to within striking distance of their opponent. But as was the case throughout the match, the Philippines allowed their rivals to extend their lead and preserve what looked to be a relatively comfortable winning margin.
Gilas rallied again with the clock ticking down, moving the scoreboard onto 70-66 with just shy of four minutes remaining. Sportscaster Patricia Hizon was sensing a memorable comeback:
The prospect of a late fightback was halted by the Chinese team though, as they saw out the remaining minutes by buying cheap fouls and gobbling up the subsequent free throw points. Eventually they emerged as victors by a scoreline of 78-71.
Despite this match meaning nothing in terms of palpable gains, it will have done little for Reyes as he looks to re-endear himself to the Philippine people. The team has played without cohesion or ingenuity throughout these Asian Games and, having been in the role for almost a decade, perhaps Reyes has taken this team as far as he can.
China will have also been disappointed not to be in the gold medal shake up in Incheon, but their performance here will have given this team a boost with some big challenges to come. They'll be desperate to build on this positive showing and there was plenty in this display to suggest they have enough to qualify for the Olympic Games in two years time.
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