‘WE BELIEVE’

Former National Basketball Association star Dwight Howard firmly believes Strong Group Athletics will fly back to the Philippines carrying the shiny 33rd Dubai International Basketball Championship trophy.

Howard and Strong Group are battling defending champion Lebanese club Al Riyadi at the Al Nasr Club in Dubai, as of press time.

"We didn't come here to lose. We have one more game. It's going to come out pretty hard, pretty aggressive and this is ours," Howard said.

"We believe."

Known as "Superman" during his heydays in the NBA, Howard powered Strong Group into the final after dropping 26 points and 20 rebounds in a 94-72 win over Sports Club Beirut of Lebanon in the semifinal late Saturday.

Strong Group has been virtually unstoppable in this tournament, winning all eight games in its wind-up to the final.

The Filipino squad took no prisoners after topping Group B with a 5-0 win-loss record.

Howard, backed by fellow NBA veterans Andre Roberson and Andray Blatche along with ex-TNT Tropang Giga import McKenzie Moore, was instrumental in the Philippine club's return to the championship round after surrendering the title last year in the quarterfinal.

Local star Kevin Quiambao dazzled the crowd with his superb play to provide much-needed support for Strong Group.

In fact, his impressive performance did not go unnoticed after offers to play for a Middle Eastern club and even a proposal to become a naturalized athlete for the United Arab Emirates came pouring in.

Strong Group ripped AS Sale of Morocco, 92-80, in the quarterfinal before re-asserting its mastery over Beirut to reach the championship round against Al Riyadi.

Strong Group has a score to settle against Al Riyadi after the club knocked the Frank Lao-owned club out of title contention with a 107-97 blowout in the quarterfinal.

Al Riyadi parades a formidable roster led by 2022 FIBA Asia Cup Most Valuable Player Wael Arakji, who played against Jordan Clarkson and Gilas Pilipinas last February in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers.