AFTER Gilas Pilipinas dropped its final two tune-up matches before the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament, the nationals need to show up with near perfect games.
Or else the Filipinos’ decades-long desire to see a cage team in the Summer Games will vanish into thin air anew.
“We were good against Turkey, we were better against Poland,” Gilas team manager Richard Del Rosario said. “But we have to be at our best from here on out.
“We need to limit our turnovers and get locked in defensively,” he added.
The Philippine five absorbed a numbing 80-82 defeat to Poland two days back in Sosnowiece, with National coach Tim Cone ripping his charges for their lack of effort.
Gilas also fell to Tí¼rkiye 73-84 in another friendly tiff last Friday in Istanbul.
Del Rosario said it’s now or never for their Paris hopes.
“It’s not just about competing, it’s all about winning,” he said. “We leave for Riga today and all our focus will be on Latvia and Georgia. “We will put them under the microscope and look for ways to win.”
The Filipino cagers do battle in what appears to be a mission impossible when they tangle with Latvia in Riga on Thursday midnight (Manila time).
Cone’s squad wind ups its OQT campaign against Georgia the next day at 8:30 p.m.
Ranked 37th in the world, Gilas must finish in the top two of its group to reach the crossover semifinals against the top two of Group B, which has No. 12 Brazil, No. 17 Montenegro, and No. 67 Cameroon.
The winners of the crossover semis will clash for the lone slot in the French capital.
Naturalized star Justin Brownlee banners Gilas’ drive in the make-or-break tilt along with reigning seven-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo, former winner Scottie Thompson, Kai Sotto, Chris Newsome, Calvin Oftana, CJ Perez, Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, and Kevin Quiambao.
Japeth Aguilar and Mason Amos replaced injured big man AJ Edu who will miss the OQT due to nagging knee issues, and Jamie Malonzo, who is on rehab after going under the knife on his left calf, respectively.
Former MVP Scottie Thompson was also ruled out of the Riga meet due to a back injury.
Gilas carries the weight of expectations from the country’s faithful who treat the sport like a religion and getting the job done in their last chance will make them some sort of national heroes.
