DID Gilas defeat Tunisia last night in the Fiba World Cup in Foshan, China?
If yes, I wouldn’t be surprised.
With Gilas’s splendid performance despite losing to Angola, it would appear that our boys have started to jell.
And Angola was not as formidable after all like Italy and Serbia, which both bombed us out of contention—as expected, of course.
Breaks didn’t go our way against Angola, resulting in an 84-81 decision in overtime.
But the fact that we extended the Angolans to five extra minutes meant we had chances to win.
And if Kiefer Ravena only made his two free throws in regulation instead of making just one charity, we might have escaped with a one-point victory.
And, oh, that missed stab from point-blank range by Japeth Aguilar? Had he made it, it might have given us the win, too. Who knows?
Always, it is from close defeats that ifs abound in the post-game analysis. It goes with the territory.
Now, again, did we win last night against Tunisia?
If yes, we cling next to that scant hope of making it to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?
Yes, because another win in our last scheduled assignment in the consolation round might put us to a tie for a shot at the lone ticket reserved for an Asian country to next year’s Olympiad.
If I read it right, the Fiba rule says the top Asian country in the Worlds gets another chance to nail an Olympic slot.
That’s because the best Asian performer is qualified in the February tournament to select Asia’s bet to Tokyo in the company of Japan. As Olympic host, Japan has secured a spot in the quadrennial Games.
But before we stray into more hypothetical gobbledygook, how about the stellar showing of both Robert Bolick and CJ Perez in Gilas’s first three games?
They are mere rookies, yes, but they proved to be the most consistent among the 12—with Perez topscoring in almost every Gilas game with 15 points against Italy, 16 against Serbia and 17 against Angola.
A star is born in Perez and, if only for that, the China trip was not completely a flop. Small pleasures can also warm the heart.