CHICAGO - Two heartbreaks in three nights. Right in our own backyard with all the bells and whistles, the pomp and pageantry.
How much more of this emotional abuse can an already tortured Gilas Pilipinas fan base take?
I don't know, but based on the uproar and the ensuing verbal siege on social media, the answer is abundantly clear: The river of patience has finally run dry.
SCENARIOS: Gilas must beat Italy by 18 - and hope for Angola loss
The object of most everyone's ire, of course, is head coach Chot Reyes. And it's fair game given that he is the captain of a ship that is quickly veering from that precious 2024 Paris Olympics slot.
Gilas has dug an 0-2 hole in this ongoing FIBA World Cup 2023. And many of the angry, jilted fans believe that Reyes is the one working the shovel.
It might not necessarily be fair, but like I've said before, there are no rules in love and grief.
As we watched with our disbelieving eyes, Gilas did not lose to the Dominican Republic and Angola. They let victory slip away.
IN BOTH GAME, REYES FAILED TO MAKE THE APPROPRIATE ADJUSTMENTS.
Against the Dominicans, who trailed early and often and were down 72-69 deep in the fourth quarter, there seemed to be some confusion on when to go man-to-man or zone defense.
And when Jordan Clarkson fouled out, there clearly was no Plan B as to where the scoring will come from.
Against Angola, which rallied from an 11-point deficit, Gilas couldn't stop their bigs from camping at mid-post which was the trigger point that allowed the Angolans to create a vicious storm from 3.
And the substitution patterns were at best, head-scratching.
After playing for 35 minutes and 12 seconds against DR where he scored 13, why did Dwight Ramos' PT drop to 19:41 against Angola?
How did CJ Perez get resurrected from a DNP in the DR game to suddenly getting 11 minutes and 50 seconds versus Angola?
And why did the long and elastic Rhenz Abando get abandoned, logging just a combined 8:40 in two games when his pesky perimeter defense was clearly a boost?
FREE JC
Jordan Clarkson struggled with his shooting - 16 of 46 from the field (34.7 percent) and 2-of-14 from 3 (14.2 percent). But that isn't entirely his fault.
The coaching staff knew that the Dominicans and Angolans would swarm Clarkson the way a SWAT unit corners an armed gunman. It was Reyes' job to help Jordan get free by designing plays where the ball and the bodies moved.
Amid all the mayhem, the Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas (SBP) has been catching stray bullets. And that hostility is misplaced.
Again, the federation's job is to provide the resources and talents to put Gilas in the best position to succeed. President Al Panlilio has done exactly that.
This stunning, underwhelming 0-2 record, which is destined to dip even further to 0-3 after the Italy game, is all on the coaching staff.
Chot Reyes is an excellent coach. So is his deputy Tim Cone.
They're just not a good fit in the international game.
Maybe the time for change has come.
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