No tolerance of lapses

Gilas swings back into action against Thailand in the SEABA Championships at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight after a one-day break and from all indications, it appears the Philippines is headed for a sweep. After Thailand, Gilas will play Vietnam tomorrow and face the only legitimate challenger Indonesia on Thursday.

SBP executive director Sonny Barrios said the other day Indonesian media mogul and FIBA Central Board member Erick Thohir is expected to arrive here this week. He should be in the stands when Gilas battles Indonesia. SBP chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan and Thohir both sit in the FIBA Central Board. They’re partnering in a multi-nation bid with Japan to host the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

After three games, the Philippines is averaging 122 points and giving up 52.3 an outing. Gilas’ average winning margin is a whopping 69.7 points. But for sure, coach Chot Reyes isn’t 100 percent pleased with Gilas’ performance so far. There are still bad habits to break, particularly in relaxing the defense down the stretch, and Reyes, a stickler for discipline, won’t tolerate lapses.

Take, for instance, Gilas’ field goal percentage. It’s on a downward trend – from 64 percent in the 147-40 rout of Myanmar to 58 percent in the 113-66 thrashing of Singapore to 51 percent in the 106-51 decision over Malaysia. The scoring output has also gone down. A positive note is Gilas hit 44 percent from beyond the arc against Malaysia, an improvement over 32 percent against Myanmar and Singapore.

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Singapore has scored the most against Gilas, firing 20 points in the second period and 22 in the third. Malaysia was first to score in opening the first, second and fourth quarters and would’ve also led off in the third but missed two free throws. Starting strong is something Gilas must work on. Malaysia connected on 8-of-24 triples, including three for its only points in the third period. Singapore buried an identical 8-of-24 treys against Gilas. Clearly, teams like Malaysia and Singapore will resort to the long ball because their players don’t have the muscle, the height or the moves to power inside. Closing out on their shooters is a priority.

In the fourth period of the Malaysia game, Gilas was almost outscored, believe it or not. The Philippines shot 18 points and Malaysia, 16 in the last 10 minutes. Against Singapore, Gilas didn’t let up defensively up to the last buzzer. Singapore’s production went from 22 in the third period to 15 in the fourth. Even against Myanmar, Gilas put the choke hold on until the end. Myanmar shot 17 points in the third quarter but was limited to 11 in the fourth. So the Malaysia ending wasn’t exactly something to celebrate. Malaysia shot only nine points in the third but 16 in the fourth.  Consistency in defense is a work in progress for Gilas.

Another positive sign is Gilas’ free throw shooting which is at 86 percent. Terrence Romeo, Andray Blatche, R. R. Pogoy, Jayson Castro, Raymond Almazan and Matthew Wright haven’t missed from the line. That’s welcome news since in the current PBA Commissioner’s Cup, Pogoy is hitting 30.8 percent and Almazan 53.8 percent from the stripe. When Gilas battles stiff opposition in FIBA Asia, making free throws becomes more critical because every point will count.

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Reyes is experimenting with different combinations and executing different sets to find out what clicks. The tournament is a perfect stage to test what works and what doesn’t.  Blatche and JuneMar Fajardo, for instance, look like a lethal tandem – they cover for each other defensively and offensively. Japeth Aguilar and Almazan is another Twin Towers combination that Reyes is testing. Romeo and Calvin Abueva work well together although sometimes, they try to do a little too much on their own. Jio Jalalon is showing toughness as a pressure defender and combining with Castro in the backcourt is an option when Reyes goes small. Wright and Allein Maliksi are interchangeable pieces but they’ve also been on the floor together to create more shooting options. Troy Rosario is shooting 80 percent from two-point range as he’s virtually unstoppable inside the paint. But it may be difficult for Rosario to work his magic against taller defenders in FIBA Asia. Pogoy is a revelation at two-guard and proving his worth as a starter.

Every player is averaging at least 10 minutes a game. Fajardo is playing the least, only 11:27 a contest. Maliksi and Wright are the only players logging at least 20 minutes. Outside shooting is critical for Gilas to get ahead in FIBA Asia and Reyes is making sure Maliksi and Wright are on target this early.