GILAS Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes said their stint in the Heyuan WUS International Basketball Tournament in Guangdong will serve them in good stead 15 days before the FIBA World Cup gets going.
“It’s like a dress rehearsal because no matter what we do in practice, no matter how hard we play, we cannot simulate the effort in an actual game of an actual team,” Reyes said.
“We can’t simulate the unpredictability, figuring out what kind of defensive scheme they’re going to run, the kind of offense they’re going to run, and then finding ways to stop it.
“That’s why playing games like these is very important for us,” he added.
Despite missing NBA standout Jordan Clarkson, big man Kai Sotto, and reigning PBA MVP Scottie Thompson in the China pocket meet, the Philippine five finished with a 3-1 mark, a development seen as big boost to the team’s preparations for the prestigious world cage spectacle the country is co-hosting with Japan and Indonesia from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10.
Gilas turned back Iran 76-65 last Thursday but dropped a 64-72 loss to Senegal last Friday.
The Filipinos got back at the Senegalese 75-63 four days ago and repeated over the Iranians with a 63-48 win last Monday night.
A pair of tune-up matches against Mexico and Montenegro are also in the offing for Gilas before the World Cup where it will do battle with the Dominican Republic, Italy, and Angola in Group A.
Reyes emphasized his charges should be on their toes against their formidable foes.
“I told you already our margin for error is very small. So, when you get in there, every second you’re on the floor counts. There is very small margin for errors,” Reyes said to his players.
