Coach Tim Cone is known to run the Triangle Offense, but he acknowledged that it won’t be the main ingredient for Gilas Pilipinas to fulfill its goal of going further in the Fiba Asia Cup.
“We’re gonna make some nice plays, we’re gonna make some three-point shots and we’re gonna do some nice passes,” Cone said. “But what is gonna win for us is our defense, and that’s where we’re gonna hang our hat on.”
Better defense is something Cone was hoping to see at press time on Thursday when Gilas took on New Zealand at Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City. It will also be the case on Saturday as the Philippines looks to get a winning result against Iraq, the perceived lightweight of Group D.
The top team in the group gets an automatic slot in the quarterfinals, while the second and third placers will have to go through a qualifying playoff against their counterparts from Group C composed of China, Jordan, India and host Saudi Arabia.
Gilas now needs a stronger sense of urgency after being handed a 95-87 loss by Chinese-Taipei in its tournament opener a few nights ago.
One main thing Gilas wasn’t able to prevent the Taiwanese from doing was knock down three-pointers, allowing 12 for the night. It did win the rebounding battle by 24, but it hardly mattered.
The game also placed June Mar Fajardo under the microscope after a two-point, two-rebound showing as he struggled against Chinese-Taipei’s naturalized player Brandon Gilbeck.
While many netizens rued Fajardo’s woes in that game and their perception of his play outside of the PBA, his San Miguel Beer teammate quickly rushed to his defense.
“June [Mar] isn’t the focal point of the offense,” Chris Ross said on X in response to someone calling Fajardo “a complete joke” on the international level. “Playing in the triangle before, during Asian Games, the offense is catered around JB [Justin Brownlee].”
Ross also called for understanding in terms of Fajardo’s condition, given that the 6-foot-10 center has been playing through a calf injury since the PBA Philippine Cup, which saw the Beermen win the title two weeks ago.
“Another thing, June [Mar] hasn’t practiced since game one of the semis trying to manage his injury. Only if y’all knew what he’s doing just to get on court,” Ross added.
Injured or healthy, there’s no question that how Fajardo performs the rest of the way will also be key in Gilas’ chances.
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Meanwhile, Fajardo’s fellow San Miguel mainstay Jericho Cruz also opened the Asia Cup with a loss as Guam was beaten by Iran, 77-52, on Wednesday.
Cruz finished with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal but couldn’t help Guam avoid dropping its first-ever game in the continental showcase.
