A MORALE-boosting win in front of its adoring home fans that should also serve as a fitting send-off.
Those are what Gilas Pilipinas intends to do when it clashes with the Macau Black Bears in a tune-up game on July 28 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The friendly tiff will be part of the preparations of the Tim Cone-mentored Nationals before they do battle in the FIBA Asia Cup set on Aug. 5 to 17 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas President Al Panlilio said that aside from serving Gilas in good stead, the exhibition duel will also give the Filipino supporters a chance to see their cage heroes before they go to ‘war.’
“Playing tune-up games before Gilas dives into the FIBA Asia Cup will only help the team out,” Panlilio said. “While the team gets good competition, it’s also an opportunity for our Gilas fans to band together and send their team off before they fly out to Saudi Arabia.
“It’s a short preparation window as many of our players saw action in the semifinals of the Philippine Cup, which was another reason why the SBP wanted Gilas to have a tune-up game here,” he added.
The Black Bears are not new to playing tune-up matches against national teams as they squared off with China last year.
“They beat the Chinese national team. They are really strong. They’ve got good imports. It could be a very interesting friendly for us,” Cone said about the 83-78 win for the club team last July.
The Macau Black Bears were founded in 2017, then competing under the name Chong Son Kung Fu and playing in the ASEAN Basketball League.
They now see action in the East Asia Super League and in the Asian Tournament, with strategist Garrrett Kelly calling the shots.
The Philippines is bracketed in Group D along with New Zealand, Chinese Taipei, and Iraq.
The Filipino cagers are set to hit the ground running on July 7, Monday, in the lead-up to meet formerly known as the ABC Championship and FIBA Asia Championship amid the gripping tension between the host country’s neighbors and Middle East powers Iran and Israel.
This only shows how determined Gilas is—iron sharpens iron.
