Thirty-nine to thirty-six (39-36), Republic of Korea.
This was the situation that Gilas Pilipinas, the Philippines' national basketball team, faced after the halftime buzzer sounded. In fact, they have come to this point quite luckily. They were down by as much as nine points in the whole of the second period, until late baskets allowed them to crawl back into the game, easing the pressure that they are facing.
One could say that this can be just another game, but for the thousands of Filipinos in the Mall of Asia arena, together with the 12 members of Gilas Pilipinas and the coaching staff, this halftime deficit is both consoling and desolating. And compared to the previous matches of Gilas Pilipinas during the entire 27th FIBA Asia tournament... No, to the previous matches of all the teams that have represented the Philippines since the early 60's and 70's, this has to be the biggest.
For the first time in a decade and a half, the Philippines is a win away from qualifying to the FIBA World championships. And it was quite unfortunate to face a nation that has been its curse for the past few years. What they are up against is the South Korean basketball team, who has denied them of most of their chances to bring a country of "little, brown men" to the league where towers dominate. This is where a certain Shin Dong Pa belonged, who was pretty much automatic from the perimeter as he made shot after shot during the 1970 FIBA World Championships. And most recently, this is where a certain Lee Sang-Min belonged, one who snagged the opportunity to book a finals match against China last 2002 after two straight misses at the charity stripe by the Filipinos' own Olsen Racela. Out of all the national teams that the Philippines have faced in all the international tournaments, it has always been Korea that provided the worst heartbreaks.
That is why the halftime break was so full of tension, that it bears something heavy both to the players and the crowd. Others were already frowning because further bleeding is possible and a 3-point deficit might end up becoming a 13-point one, given the hot shooting that Korea has. Some expect a third quarter storm that has been the turning point in all of Gilas Pilipinas' matches. These questions even become bigger and more serious, perhaps, when one would enter the Gilas Pilipinas locker room and seeing Coach Chot Reyes mulling over his options and trying to deal with the problems at hand, especially of naturalized player Marcus Douthit's absence.
After the buzzer once again sounded to signal the second half, things took a drastic turn. Talk n Text Tropang Texters guard Jayson Castro fired up the arena when he initiated a personal 6-0 run against the Koreans. He sure is a dribble-drive player, and he saw that it would work against a Korean defense that has been too preoccupied with covering Gilas Pilipinas' shooters. Marc Pingris, one of the tallest Filipinos on the court, battled with hotshot Lee Seung Jun in the paint despite hobbling on both ends of the court. These two were the men of the third quarter who converted a 3-point deficit into a safe 9-point lead entering into the fourth. But behind Castro and Pingris lies the incredible support of their teammates, especially the Jones Cup MVP L.A. Tenorio, who drove into the basket like crazy only to dish open threes or midrange passes, or even Jeff Chan who made perimeter baskets one after the other.
But there's still ten minutes to play after that, and Korea took advantage of it in no time. Korean guard Kim Min-Goo found his range and shot a barrage of triples, and a run that ended with a Lee Seung Jun gave the Koreans a one-point lead. However, Gilas Pilipinas did not back down. Faced with adversity, they slugged it out even until the final minutes. And at this point, enter Jimmy Alapag and Ranidel de Ocampo. The latter slowed the pace down when everything is getting too fast for both teams, but sunk in a crucial layup and a triple to keep the game afloat. Meanwhile, the former's time has come, as he hit a step-back jumper and a quick three to finally seal the deal for Gilas Pilipinas.
Alapag's triple was the shot heard round Asia, and by the final buzzer, it was over. The ghost of South Korea that has since lingered around was sent away. The Philippine basketball team snags a ticket to Spain for the 2014 FIBA Worlds, with the opportunity to play against the taller guys whom the Filipinos only admire over cable or HD TV. All the hard work, the unwavering support that the team has gotten from their fans, have all paid off. Coach Chot Reyes can only cry in delight. The players have never been more thankful. It was that shining moment that the team has been waiting for, and it definitely outweighs all the championship moments in the UAAP, the NCAA, and the PBA. It outweighs the Jones Cup championship that Tenorio won for the team last year. It outweighs even the championship bid of the promising Sinag Pilipinas team a few years back, composed of promising talents like Kiefer Ravena, Bobby Ray Parks, and Jeron Teng. And it definitely outweighs all the heartbreak losses that the Philippines had in the previous FIBA Asia tournaments. This is the victory that the Philippines was waiting for, and it was sweeter this time around, especially when it took this long to snag another stint in the world championship, knowing that the Oceania teams will join Asia and it would take long for the Philippines again to take home court advantage.
Gilas Pilipinas could have wished that this was the last match for them, but they still have one more match in the finals to grab that championship, this time from the behemoths of Iran. However, the "one after the big one" turned out to be the usual plotlines: like the Shohoku basketball team losing to Aiwa after their biggest match against Sannoh, like the 2013 Lakers falling against the Spurs after securing the seventh playoff seed. Due to the absence of Douthit and the fatigue taking its toll on Gilas, the Iranians prevailed with a double-digit victory in the end, grabbing the championship once again. The Filipino crowd could have wished for a championship, but instead settled for a silver medal. Nevertheless, this team is going to Spain and will have a crack at getting what was once an impossible dream: basketball supremacy. With the pool of international players, it would seem to remain impossible, but it would be better if this team, which the world might see as ragtag underdogs, will have a chance to prove itself.
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