Breaking Blinders

     I'm an avowed fan of Gilas. I can't deny it and I won't, but I stopped defending them since this article last year because I figured people have realized how good they are already, especially since they've dominated the PBA teams they have faced.  Lately, though, the hatred for Gilas has been increasing and it's absolutely absurd. I list down the most common attacks on Gilas and let's see if they have merit.

"Marcus Douthit has no tall opposition so he's dominating."


     Pros losing to an amateur Gilas team need a convenient excuse.  They've been saying this even before the start of the conference, but PBA teams are better served practicing ball denial and boxing out rather than complaining.  Yes, Douthit has dominating numbers, but it's not all his height; it's the system. A lot of Douthit's points are close in shots, put backs off offensive rebounds and short stabs off cuts.  Neither kind is exclusive to overly huge players.  His rebounds are the same. It doesn't hurt to be huge with long arms, but it also helps that all your teammates, even guards, box out all of the opposition to help things along.  Blocks? It's the same story. Gilas plays a specific kind of defense. Guards lead all opponents to the baseline, where Douthit or any other center will be waiting for the block. At the baseline, offensive players are trapped because of the baseline and the backboard, making it easy to block shots or steal the ball.  


     Don't believe in the explanation? Find a way to get their stats from their last Middle East tournament and you'll see Douthit averaging close to the same numbers even ranged against NBA-sized imports of the Middle East.  Over here, in the B Meg game where Douthit got hurt, even substitute Greg Slaughter tallied 7 (!) blocks. 



"Gilas only wins because they have Douthit."

     That's easy to say since GIlas' only loss was when Douthit missed most of the 2nd half game against B Meg, but people have to note two things.  One, the game went into overtime, after GIlas established an 8 point lead AFTER Douthit left the game. Two, B Meg had an import in the game, meaning an import-laden pro team needed overtime to beat Gilas.  Now, with the victory over Powerade with Douthit not playing, Gilas has shown that they can win without Douthit.  Take a close look at all of Gilas games and you will note a similarity.  All Gilas opponents shoot worse in the 4th quarter.  The main reason for Gilas' wins against PBA teams is not the behemoth Douthit but because they run PBA teams ragged.  Their constant movement and relentless screens in half court sets combined with quick hits on their fast breaks are proving too much for a lot of PBA players who have become too muscle-bound to keep up.  Just take a look at the Talk and Text game where the Texters barely scored in the 4th quarter or the Powerade Tigers who couldn't sustain their hot shooting starting as early as the 3rd quarter.  Even in the B Meg loss, stars like PJ Simon and Kerby Raymundo suffered from cramps and couldn't finish the game. 


"Gilas guards, especially Chris Tiu, cannot defend bigger guards because they're too small."

     If people look at individual situations where opponents "blow by" their Gilas defenders, this is a common mistake.  Like I wrote before, Gilas guards are not as concerned if opponents drive by them because they are funneling the slashers to where they want them (baseline where their centers are waiting).  A lot of the PBA star guards may get great points numbers in box scores, but a quick check at the FG% reveals the true nature of Gilas defense.  PJ Simon scored 20 points, but on 29% (6 of 21) shooting.  Same goes with Gary David's 23 points on 5 of 16 shooting from the 2-point range. 


"Gilas players like Chris Tiu are too raw; more experienced PBA pros are better."

     It's the safe bet to say veterans play better in tight situations because of experience, but take a look at the Gilas games and it's just not true.  Every game, save for the San Miguel destruction, were close and in each of those games, different, supposedly "raw" players made big plays to win the game for Gilas.  Whether it was Chris Tiu's clutch free throws to beat Talk and Text and Alaska or JV Casio's clutch drive against Powerade, Gilas has shown enough gumption to finish games.  Pros don't exactly have great records in the clutch for us.  Who can forget Olsen Racela's or Alvin Patrimonio's crucial free throw misses which cost us medals in the Asian Games?  Fact is, Gilas players are mentally tough because they fall back on a disciplined system.  That provides much more metal stability than years of local pro league experience.


     Gilas still has a lot to learn; I'll be the first to admit that. They need to shoot better more consistently and some of the big men have to get tougher, but their play has more merits than demerits at this point.  Whether they can become world beaters and make the Olympics is irrelevant.  GILAS IS THE BEST NATIONAL TEAM WE CAN FORM AT THIS POINT because PBA teams WON'T LET THEIR PROS LEAVE FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME. To not support them, to not support the 12 young men who have trained twice a day, 6 days a week for the past 2 years because they are not the country's favorite PBA pros, is simply idiotic.