Guarding the grounds

Gilas approaches its match against an agitated Iran side with the same caution and must-win mentality to close the fourth window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on a positive note today at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Philippines will be riding the crest of a come-from-behind, 82-81, overtime win over Jordan on Friday, when it takes on the rebound-seeking Iranians in the main game at 8 p.m.

Gilas has just ended a four-game slide to improve to a 3-4 carryover win-loss record in Group E.

But Gilas is still outside of the top four in the standings.

All the Filipinos have done so far is get past one of the many obstacles that are in the way of their bid for a fourth straight World Cup stint in Qatar next year.

“Yeah, well, from our calculations, we got to win five or six in this second round,” Cone said.

The decorated mentor has acknowledged how the odds stacked against his team, which is already without injured naturalized player Justin Brownlee and could also miss Carl Tamayo after twisting an ankle two nights ago, based on the standings.

Only four teams from the group will get their ticket to Doha for the main draw running from 27 August to 12 September.

Australia with its unbeaten 7-0 record already has a foot inside the World Cup. Iran, Jordan and New Zealand are tied with 5-2 slates while Gilas and Syria (2-5) remain in the precarious spot of missing the cut.

“We have six games, two more against Syria, two against Iran, and one more against Jordan. We have to win five or six if we want to have a shot at making the World Cup,” Cone said.

Gilas got a little assist from the Tall Blacks before its match against Jordan when the Kiwis outlasted the pesky Iranians, 93-91, in overtime.

This gave Gilas added motivation heading into its game that also needed an extra five minutes and a defensive masterpiece from returning center Kai Sotto to pull off a victory.

“Got some help early this afternoon when New Zealand beat Iran. That was important for us to continue our journey. But we got to take care of our own business. So, as I said, this is like halftime for us, and we haven’t won anything,” Cone said.

“We need to win the whole game. Right now, it’s just halftime. We got another game to play.”

Cone will again pin his hopes on the 7-foot-3 Sotto, who made a rousing comeback after a two-year national team absence due to injuries with a double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds with three blocks, Kevin Quiambao, CJ Perez, Dwight Ramos and AJ Edu.

Gilas, however, could miss the services of Tamayo after sustaining an ankle sprain early in the third quarter.

If the young forward does not recover in time, Cone can replace him with reserve forward Justin Arana or point guard RJ Abarrientos.

On the other hand, Iran is out to get back on the winning track after its three-game winning streak was snapped.

Gilas will have its eyes on forward Matin Aghajanpour, who had 19 points in the last outing, as well as on Mohammad Jamshidi, Mohhamad Amini and veteran point guard Mahdi Jafari.

Meanwhile, Australia seeks an eighth win in row in its 5 p.m.tussle against Jordan while opening the final playdate of the window at 2 p.m. are New Zealand and Syria.