Slow but sure

Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone doesn’t care about the final score of his team’s tune-up match win over Jordan early Sunday (Manila time).

But seeing Gilas’ defense hold strong and its outside shooting on point in the crucial stretch of its last friendly before marching into the 33rd FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, gave him a glimpse of where the team is at.

It was a morale-boosting victory for the Filipinos as they attempt to end a four-decade title drought in the continental basketball tournament unfurling on Tuesday.

Gilas won’t see action until Wednesday against a familiar rival in Chinese Taipei in Group D.

“Score won’t matter, it’s really the quality of the play that we have, then we’ll feel better about ourselves going in against Taiwan,” said Cone, whose wards dominated the Jordanians playing sans Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, 75-61.

“We’ve done a lot of work, we’ve watched a lot of video, so we feel we’re prepared in that respect, but actually, walking the talk. We’re doing a lot of talking, but we got to walk it,” he added.

Gilas did just that when it held an 11-point lead, 40-29, at halftime of the closed-door game.

Although the Jordanians shaved off the Filipinos’ gap to just eight after the third period, Gilas outscored its opponents, 20-14, in the final quarter for the win.

Calvin Oftana, who made the trip and the Final 12 despite doubts on his health after spraining both his ankles during TNT’s spoiled grand slam bid in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup, drained key triples late in the match to keep Jordan at bay.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas also reported on its Facebook page that Kevin Quiambao, Scottie Thompson and Dwight Ramos also swished in crucial treys in the victory over the same team it beat for the gold medal of the Hangzhou Asian Games back in 2023.

“Of course, it’s a non-bearing game, but it’s an opportunity for us to continue to get better and continue to improve in what we’re doing,” guard Chris Newsome said.

“I just want to see us improve and stay together and just keep on working on the things that we need to work on, so that way we can get the games that really matter.”

The triumph over the Jordanians came on the heels of the Philippines’ 103-98 win over the Macau Black Bears at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Monday in the first of its two friendlies.

“Well, I’m just looking for a measurement of where we are in terms of preparedness,” Cone said.

“I think that’s really the key, just seeing how prepared we are in terms of, and I don’t think we’re there yet, but I think this game will go a long way in terms of helping us get to where we want to get to,” he added.

The match gave Gilas a feel of playing together, especially with players like CJ Perez and June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel Beer, and Oftana joining the team late due to the PBA Finals.

The 6-foot-10 Fajardo just trained with the team on Day 2 of Gilas’ practice session on Friday. Fajardo, who is nursing a calf injury, and Oftana sat out the send-off game in Manila.

“We’re really looking just for the quality of our play, the quality of our execution, allowing the guys to make basketball plays, and then just playing the heck out of the defense. That’s really what we’re looking for,” Cone said.

After taking on the Taiwanese, Gilas will battle New Zealand on 8 August before facing Iraq on the 10th.