Gilas Pilipinas vs. Lebanon: Time, Live Stream for 2015 FIBA Asia Championships
After storming through Group E, winning five consecutive games, the Philippines are one step closer to capturing a 2015 FIBA Asia Championship. Standing in the way in Thursday's quarterfinal matchup will be Lebanon, which earned a huge win over Jordan on Tuesday to keep its title hopes alive.
The Philippines have the second-most titles in FIBA Asia Championship history (five), but its last title came in 1985. Two years ago, the team finished second after losing to Iran in the title game.
Lebanon has never finished better than second in this tournament, making an impressive run in its return after the 2013 team was suspended by FIBA.
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These two teams have taken very different routes to get here. During their five-game winning streak, Gilas has won four times by at least 14 points, has an average margin of victory of 30.4 points per game and knocked off India by 34 points to go a perfect 3-0 in Group E play.
One lingering concern for Gilas is the health of Andray Blatche. The former NBA star is tied for the team lead with 16.2 points and team-high 1.3 blocks per game but has been hobbled by an ankle injury suffered against Japan on Sept. 27.
Blatche did play 25 minutes against India, scoring 15 points, but continues to struggle with his shooting consistency after hitting seven of his 16 attempts.
Terrence Romeo enters the knockout round on a high note, leading the Philippines with 20 points, four assists and three rebounds against India. After the win, he told reporters that a last-second alley-oop to Matt Ganuelas was a key moment.
“I wanted us to finish on a high,” Romeo said. “We actually ran that play before, but Matt couldn’t finish it off with a dunk. But I really wanted that play.”
Lebanon has been more erratic throughout the tournament, going 3-3 in the two group stages and fighting off a strong second-half rally against Jordan in the final game of group play to lock up a spot in the quarterfinals.
Just based on the respective resumes of the two teams in this tournament, the Philippines should be a resounding favorite over Lebanon.
However, there is something to be said for the Lebanese team's resolve. After all, it lost one of the strangest games of the FIBA championships, blowing a 15-point halftime lead against Qatar in a 105-100 double-overtime loss in the preliminary round.
Long before this tournament started, Lebanon was facing a crossroad in the sport. It was trying to build itself back up after being taken out of the event in 2013, starting with the hiring of head coach Veselin Matic.
Dany Abboud of the Daily Star wrote (h/t Enzo Flojo of FIBA.com) in February that expectations were reasonably high this time around.
"After taking into consideration that we have an impressive mix of veteran and young players, we are in a good situation to succeed," said Abboud.
Thus far, the changes have worked well enough. Things haven't come together perfectly, but Lebanon keeps doing enough and responding to each of its losses with a win.
Amir Saoud has been fantastic at leading the offense, shooting the ball as well as anyone in this tournament, as noted by
Lebanon is still climbing an uphill battle, though it has arguably the best offensive player on either team. Saoud will have to play his best game of the championships to keep his squad in it and hope the Philippines have an off night.
But there's a reason that Gilas has run roughshod over virtually everyone in its way thus far. It may not be quite a 30-point margin of victory again, but no hurdle looks too big to clear heading into the knockout stage.
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