Games Today (Manila time: plus 6 hrs.)
7:30 p.m. – Philippines vs Puerto Rico
11:30 p.m. – Senegal vs Argentina
Don’t cry for Gilas Pilipinas, Argentina. The Nationals never had any illusions the world No. 3 would be easy pickings.
Still what mind-boggling feat it would have been had Andray Blatche
knocked down that late corner 3-point shot. Or Jayson Castro not chooses
the most inappropriate time to pull up from 3-point territory rather
than drive.
But Blatche didn’t and Castro did and a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to rock the international basketball order in the 2014 FIBA
World Cup was forever lost Monday as Argentina dodged the upset bullet,
85-81, before thousands of screaming, bobbing, chanting, pumping,
war-painted fans almost equally divided at the Palacio Municipal de
Deportes San Pablo here.
While football is the sport worshipped at the altar in the South American country, basketball isn’t lagging too far behind.
And against the FIBA Asia silver medal winner, the Argentineans kept
the faith and tenaciously hung on in the midst of a buffeting storm.
But the 2004 Olympic gold medalist, with six Summer Games
appearances, 13 FIBA World Cups, 16 FIBA Americas Championships and 14
Pan American Games to its resume as a cage power, did behold Philippine
basketball at its mighty best: taking a 10-point lead in the first
quarter with Blatche on the bench with two fouls, Rain or Shine’s Gabe
Norwood posterizing the Indiana Pacers’ Luis Scola with a rim-bending
dunk, June Mar Fajardo nimbly circling around the defense inside the
paint, Ranidel de Ocampo bedeviling with clutch 3-pointers.
And Jimmy Alapag!
The 5-foot-9 point guard of the Talk ’N Text Tropang Texters, who
announced earlier that this would be his last international tournament,
was on fire and delivered perhaps the game of his life, keeping an
entire nation on the edge as he carried the torch for Gilas Pilipinas by
burying five 3-point shots in the second half, three coming in the
fourth quarter with the fifth, so far off with 2:08 remaining, cutting
down Argentina’s lead to 82-81.
Until that point, the Philippines had its hands wrapped around the
ultimate prize – a victory over an Olympic champion. But then slowly it
slipped through the fingers.
Amazingly, Alapag never got to launch another 3.
An Argentine miss gave the Nationals possession. But Blatche, who got
whistled for two fouls barely there minutes into the game, clanged an
open but unnecessary 3-point attempt on the near left corner.
Andres Nocioni, seasoned by NBA stints with the Chicago Bulls,
Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings, left the door open by splitting
his free throws with 42 seconds remaining.
The Gilas Pilipinas shot clock was down to 6 when the ball hit an
Argentinean foot and time was reset to 14, bringing them extra precious
seconds.
National coach Chot Reyes called time and drew a play for Alapag to
come off a screen and get the ball with the fate of the Philippines
rightfully placed in his hands.
But Norwood had some trouble inbounding, barely managing to get it to
Jayson Castro after Alapag, in what Reyes said was a brilliant move by
Argentina coach Julio Lamas to bring back the speedy Facundo Campazzo,
failed to shake off the defense.
With time running out and Alapag now barred from the equation,
Castro, who had hit three 3-pointers earlier, two of them back-to-back
to ignite a roaring Gilas Pilipinas comeback from 15 points in the third
quarter, took it upon himself to go head-to-head with the New York
Knicks’ Pablo Prigioni.
Castro rose with Prigioni on him. But in a fleeting moment of
indecision Castro didn’t launch, putting the ball on the floor instead
and then picking it up – a clear traveling violation.
The whistle blew and Nocioni went to the foul line for the second
time inside the final 42 seconds; this time he made both, ending an
experience for Gilas Pilipinas that was even more exhilarating than the
opening game against Croatia which went into overtime.
