The Last Home Shoot Around of the Gilas

Last night so many Filipino basketball fans got mad when The Last Home Stand did not happen. The NBA was KJ or killjoy for these loyal basketball fans. The game between the Philippine National Team against an NBA selection was cancelled.  The organizers tried to salvage the event by making the basketball players perform practice drills. Many got annoyed and Manny V. Pangilinan was man enough to apologize and offer refunds to fans who bought those very expensive tickets just to watch legitimate NBA players play in local soil.

It is sad but here are some good things coming out from the cancellation of the game:

1. At least Filipino fans will not see how poorly the Gilas would fare against the NBA selection.  What if they lost by 40 points? It definitely will not inject some confidence in them as they will face much more tougher competition in Spain.
2. No injuries.  The Gilas will have a team at full strength going to more meaningful games.  The NBA players also can resume their vacation without risking their million dollar NBA careers.
3. No highway robbery. The tickets were very expensive for an exhibition game that has no real relevance. An NBA preseason game would have been better.

Big Losers because of the cancellation:

1. Filipino Basketball Fans - The hype was there. Expectations were high. Once it was cancelled, it became like 5 stages of grief in an hour. The organizers got DEPRESSED, the fans got ANGRY, the hosts and the marketing people were in DENIAL, the players held a practice to BARGAIN with the fans, and in the end everyone ACCEPTED that it was a total failure. The fans from the provinces can only have their tickets refunded but how about their fare, accommodations, food, and the emotional damages. How about those who bought from scalpers? They can only be refunded with the face value not the actual price of their tickets. 
2. The organizers - They have to admit it was a TOTAL FAILURE and people will be wary the next time they hold such events. They did not deliver their promise. It sucks and they have to do a lot to get back the fans' trust and confidence.
3. NBA - They suck.  They are greedy. Filipinos have looked up so much to that American league that many of the fans know the NBA player guests rather than our very own Gilas. The majority were not there for the Gilas. NBA is NBA and they broke the hearts of some of their biggest fans in the world.

The shoot around at least gave us a glimpse on how these players practice. Although most of them never took it seriously there were many comical scenes. The NBA players were too good and I commend most of them for trying to salvage the night. As for the Gilas, they have to play more memorable scrimmages against unfamiliar people.   They have to know that they need to improve on so that they would not embarrass themselves in Spain. 

If the game happened, I would have wanted to see this:

1. How our guards cope against bigger and faster guards.  Having a traditional Filipino PG that is like below 5'10 and having a quickness slower than an NBA Center will not cut it. It is our disadvantage if we cannot set up our plays or outran our opponents, our chances of winning 1 game in Spain is close to ZERO.  We might have the talent but most of our players settled with their current skills just because they are already best in the PBA. If only we have multitudes of people who have the attitude of an Asi Taulava.
2. Junmar Fajardo being outrebounded or dunked on by Lillard or Jennings.  Our newly minted PBA MVP must know that he should try harder in international competition.  He is not going to be against 6-5 centers there. Many are taller, bigger, faster, and stronger than him. The refs do not even know him. He has to know that many guards can actually outjump him in rebound plays. 
3. Pingris vs. Harden, Chandler - Our best defender knows that he will be facing players way better than the imports that he is used to. He might have the toughness but can he really shutdown the best forwards in the world?
4. 3-point shooting - The only way for us to win is to win it outside.  Gone are the days with us having a Caidic who inspires fear from our opponents. While fans would love to see dunks and highlights, ball rotation and outside shooting can easily beat a team of the best wing men and dunkers.  Chot Reyes must learn from the Spurs and our shooters should work hard to be the next Caidic.  A sub .400 3 point shooting average is not enough to make the final cut for the Gilas.

So, we move on with our lives and forget last night happened. The Last Home Stand was an epic fail but the world is not stopping.  Let's learn the lessons and not expect too much in something we do not have any control. Last night, it might be truly the Last Home Stand with this batch of Gilas. Next year, there could be a different group with new players, coaches, and an SMC management.  The organizers just probably made a self-fulfilling prophecy. :(


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