THE reason for the twin losses was palpable: No cohesion at all.
Whether it was by a close defeat or by a wide margin, Gilas Pilipinas lost twice because it groped for fluidity, smooth movement and teamwork.
It was written in the stars, my golly.
That 69-66 defeat to New Zealand was nothing but a topsy-turvy finish for Gilas, the result of incoherence in mission: win with neat calculation.
Gilas absorbed next a 93-66 rout from Australia and that only magnified our team’s utter lack of unanimity. Discord was what obliterated a hurriedly built squad.
Yes, we swept Guam twice in the first window because Guam was a mere tyke thrown into a man’s world.
Gilas gobbled up Guam as we had a mismatch, literally, as in virtually pitting a Rottweiler against a poor poodle in a bizarre contest only a crazed masochist can enjoy.
Thus, even if hastily assembled and sorely lacking in practice, the talent-laden Gilas was simply overmatched against hapless Guam.
But against biggies like New Zealand and Australia?
No way Gilas can be as deadly. The lack of practice surely got in the way, with cohesion and blending leading to defeats that did not surprise even the mother, perhaps, of Justin Brownlee.
We could have beaten New Zealand, why not? The tight finish showed Gilas was capable of victory.
But when a team is assembled barely two weeks before the big fight, as in Gilas’ case, cracks will show, especially when the going gets rough. Thus, Gilas was most vulnerable in the endgame, when, oftentimes, the game’s outcome is decided.
Against Australia, Gilas fought tooth-and-nail at the start, yielding a 14-13 first quarter result and trailing the Aussies by only 38-33 at the half.
But the back pocket would soon yield leaks in the final two quarters, with Australia easily proceeding to post a 68-53 third quarter lead en route to a 93-66 final count.
The stinging losses put Gilas at 2-2 (win-loss), needing wins against New Zealand in New Zealand and versus Australia in Australia months from now. They are must-win return bouts for Gilas to stay alive in the Fiba qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup.
The lesson is clear: Build the team early. There is no substitute for early preparation. As the adage goes: “The early bird gets the first worm.”