Director's Cut

     It was an anti-climactic close out game for Gilas, as poor shooting, especially from outside the three point arc doomed them as they succumbed to Al Rayyan Qatar, 71 to 64 to settle for 4th place in the 22nd FIBA Asia Champion's Cup, the Philippine's highest placing in 15 years.  Nevertheless, there was no diminishing the sterling performance of this young team, evident in the way the crowd waited until after the game to give them an applause they truly deserved.  While my penchant for verbosity can talk about Gilas and their performance endlessly, I feel it's best to take others' words this time.


Audio Commentary

• "You guys (Gilas) almost had it. Just a few more shots and you could've won," proclaimed ASU Jordan star Osama Dahgles after the Iran vs Gilas game when I ran into him at the Podium.  He was shaking his head in disbelief.

• "Like has been their wont in the competition – some might even say for the last three years – Smart Gilas displayed tremendous character and characteristic effervescence in the display of their sublime skills," according to S. Mageshwaran of FIBA-Asia.

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7 Pieces (of trivia)

     In Day 2 of the 22nd FIBA Asia Champions' Cup, Smart Gilas Pilipinas destroyed the KL Westport Dragons of Malaysia, 95-64.  While Gilas played listlessly in the first half (and let the Dragons end the 1st half with the lead), they came roaring back with tremendous defense in the 2nd, allowing the Dragons only 24 points.  To amuse myself in the listless first half, I began asking myself questions and I've come up with these 7 entertaining pieces of trivia.

1.  Dylan Ababou scored 6 points in 5 minutes 4 seconds in Gilas' first game.  In tonight's game, Ababou scored 5 in 3 minutes 43 seconds.  That means Ababou has more points than minutes played, with a ratio of 1.25 points per 1 minute. Talk about a scoring machine!


2.  Gilas now holds the distinction of not only being the 1st team to use all 12 players but also having all 12 score at least 2 points, as Asi Taulava and Jason Ballesteros scored today.


3.  Marcus Douthit played only 19 minutes and 20 seconds today, making this his shortest stint in a sanctioned game, since being ejected for an altercation in the finals of the Dubai International.

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Hanging at the Balkans

     I don't know about you, but whenever I finish playing basketball, all I look forward to eating are perfectly-crisp fries and a great burger.  PBA players will probably think the same. That's why Chris Ross, Mac Cardona, Marcus Douthit and Coach Rajko Toroman troop to... a Serbian restaurant?!? 

Goulash: Spicy, Tender Beef Stew

     Located along J Abad Santos St corner Mons St., in San Juan, Balkan Express has become a favorite among ballers and fans alike, and if you take a bite of their Pljeskavica (Burger) or the Chicken "Batak" (Stuffed Chicken) together with their French Fries, you will understand why.  Freshly prepared, a lot of Balkan's favorites feature their own mix of minced meat, which Balkan Express proudly calls the specialty of the house.  They are right.  The minced meat is very flavorful and moist, and combined with perfectly crisp fries, I begin to understand the appeal of this place.  It isn't just the minced meat too.  Balkan also offers other greats like the Mousaka (to be ordered a day in advance), Chicken Kebabs and Goulash.  As I enjoyed the famed minced meat burger stuffed with melted cheese, and enjoy one of the best goulashes I've had in years,  owner Marco Batricevic arrives on his bike, and From the Fifty Peso Seats gets to chat with him.  

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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. 

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