Gilas rekindles rivalry with Korea in FIBA Asia Cup quarters

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas renews rivalry with regional arch nemesis South Korea Wednesday night as they square off for a spot in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup Final Four at the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex in Beirut, Lebanon.

Two teams with a rich history of fierce showdowns from the early years of the Asian meet, the Filipinos and the Koreans clash at 6:30 p.m. (11:30 p.m. in Manila), with the winner advancing to the semifinals versus the victor in the Iran-Lebanon quarterfinal matchup.

The Philippines is revved up by its three-game sweep in Pool B while Korea is pumped up by its stirring three-game run after a close loss to host Lebanon on opening day.

A win away from the medal matches, the Nationals press their bid interestingly against a team which had caused the Philippines much heartbreaks and heartaches in the past.

Who would forget the buzzer-beating 3-pointer by cold-blooded Korean gunner Lee Sang Min to steal the win in the Philippine-Korea semifinal showdown in the 2002 Busan Asiad?

Korea also dealt the Philippines heartrending losses in their knockout battles in 2009 in Tianjin and in 2011 in Wuhan.

But Gilas has ended the Korean curse in Team Phl’s classic triumph at home in 2013 that became its ticket to the 2014 World Championship in Spain.

The two teams didn’t meet in Changsha in 2015 but the Philippines outperformed Korea with its second-place finish behind host China.

Forward Lee Junghyun and centers Kim Jongkyu, Lee Jonghyun and Lee Seounghyun are holdovers from Korea’s 2015 team, forwards Oh Sekeun and Choi Junyong, and guards Kim Sunhyung and Chan Hee Park are reactivated from previous Korean teams while the rest are newcomers.

Oh, a 6-foot-8 forward who’s veteran of two previous Asia Cups and the 2014 World Cup, and Kim, a 6-2 guard who played in the 2013 FIBA Asia and in the 2014 world joust, are the Koreans’ lead guns in Beirut averaging 13.8 and 12.8 points, respectively.

The Filipino coaches should have an edge in scouting since they saw the Koreans up close in their battle with the Gilas cadets in the recent Jones Cup.

The cadets made one of 26 three-point attempts against a menacing South Korean defense, and dropped an 83-72 setback in their Taipei meet tiff.

But Terrence Romeo and his teammates have been shooting better than the Koreans in the Lebanon conclave. The Filipinos average 12.3 three-pointers on a high 42-percent clip while the Koreans hit only nine triples on 36-percent shooting per game.

The question is how would Gilas handle the Korean’s dreaded extended zone defense.

With their efficient defense and good ball movement on the offensive end, the Koreans routed the Kazakhs, 116-55; stunned the Kiwis, 76-75; and toppled the Japanese, 81-68.

Oh collected 16 points, five steals, four rebounds and two assists as the Koreans rolled past the Japanese in the first round of the knockout matches to set the stage for another faceoff with the Filipinos.

The Philippines has won five Asia Cup crowns against Korea’s two. But the Koreans have been far more consistent with 11 second- and 11 third-place finishes in the biennial meet.