Five Things

     The big news of the night would be Smart GIlas Pilipinas drubbed Saudi Arabia, 101-69, to auspiciously open their bid in the FIBA Asia Champions' Cup.  I think it's the least exciting of the encouraging news of the night.  Everyone expects Gilas to beat Saudi, but here are the five things I deem more exciting from tonight's game.

5. The Excellence of Execution - It was truly a refreshing sight to see PBA All Stars Don Don Hontiveros and Jimmy Alapag on the Gilas bench.  More exciting to see, though,  is how hard Hontiveros was playing to acclimate himself into the rotations.  GIlas was able to run a couple of sets with Hontiveros in, so it seems he's picking things up well.  Alapag may not have played but it was great seeing him consult with JV Casio about where point guards would go during a particular play.



4. Smoking Gunns - They didn't take too many threes as they didn't need to, but Chris Tiu and Marcio Lassiter buried a good number of threes, at a good percentage at that.  One of the things that failed them in their series loss to Ginebra was their three-point shooting. It's good to see they're on the road back.

3. The Rock - Asi Taulava back in harness for Gilas was truly encouraging.  Forget the stats. Asi didn't even score, but his presence was much appreciated with his rebounding and defense.  More importantly, his presence meant a solid period of rest of Marcus Douthit, and that meant a much more dominant and effective Douthit on both the offensive and defensive end.  


2. Jack Swagger - Coming from tough elimination from the very physical Ginebra, it was a pleasant surprise to see Gilas step in still with a swagger on the court.  The team was confident, energetic and filled with national pride. Obviously, the team has shown its resiliency and has put the bitter loss behind them and has categorized it as a learning opportunity.

1.  Hardy Boy - Japeth Aguilar was unquestionably the star of tonight's game. More encouraging than his 20 points is how he got them.  Aguilar didn't settle for long set jumpers, opting instead for shorter mid-range jumpers and driving to the hoop for spectacular dunks.  He played great defense too, using his athleticism effectively.  Rarely do we witness a game where Coach Toroman isn't telling Aguilar's ear off and today was that day.  It's not too much to hope for more games like that.  


     Gilas plays next against Malaysia's KL Dragons tomorrow night, May 29, at 6 pm. Venue is still at the Phil Sports Arena in Pasig and tickets are still available at SM Tickets (any SM CInema).