First one to find shooting touch between Gilas and Angola wins

What can we expect from this proverbial war of the winless?
Sep 4, 2019

The Philippines and Angola each try to salvage what's left of their basketball pride, as they end their respective 2019 Fiba World Cup campaigns later today.

Both teams were looking to get the better of their favored Group D rivals Italy and Serbia, but instead got ran over by the sheer size and talent of the European powerhouses. Now, Gilas Pilipinas and the Angolans join the other bottom two teams in the Classification Round to compete for places 17 to 32.

In the meantime, the two will fight for the chance to bring home the consolation single-win trophy.

How did the two qualifiers find themselves in this tragic position? And what can we expect from this proverbial war of the winless?

HOW DID THEY GET HERE

Serbia set the precedent for Group D blowouts in the opening match of the World Cup with its 105-59 victory over Angola. Then, the Angolans made headlines for all the wrong reasons when Leonel Paulo was ejected for a headbutt on Alessandro Gentile during a 92-61 loss to Italy. In those two games, the 11-time African champs gave up and lost by an average of 98.5 and 38.5 points, respectively.

Gilas basically suffered the same fate, only with a worse defense (117) and wider losing margin (52.5). The Italians pounced on a listless Pinoy squad, en route to an easy 108-62 Day 1 win. Next up, Gilas actually started better against the Serbians, even getting its first lead of the tournament, 9-7. The NBA talent gap eventually presented itself, and Gilas learned the harsh reality to the tune of 126-67.

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This led to Serbia coach Sasa Dordevic saying, "I think you (Gilas) showed some balance and quickness but obviously you're missing quality and these two games (including one against Italy) are the result of that. Two European top teams who know how to play tough, physical basketball. [These are] results to think about in the future."

There isn't too much positive to take away from Gilas and Angola's first two games, but a handful of players can decide the fate of their respective teams.

PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR

Shooting guard Carlos Morais was one of the bright spots for Angola. The 33-year-old FIBA veteran, who represented his country in the 2008 Summer Olympics, averaged 12.5 points and two three-pointers. Center Yanick Moreira (11.5 pts, 6 rebounds per game) and power forward Leonel Paulo (11 pts) have been a decent enough supporting cast.

With Moreira and Paulo in the Angolan frontcourt, Andray Blatche and June Mar Fajardo (8.5 pts, 6 reb, 1.5 assists per game) will have their work cut out for them. The two Gilas bigs has combined for two blocks versus Italy and Serbia.

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In the case of the Philippines, CJ Perez and Blatche are in the player spotlight for different reasons.

Perez has been nothing but a revelation on a national team full of veterans. The PBA rookie has shown that he's built for the big stage with averages of 15.5 points, three assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He has displayed energy and fearlessness on both ends of the floor, even in the face of Danilo Gallinari and Boban Marjanovic.

On the other hand, we may have seen the last of Blatche in a Gilas uniform. The 33-year-old naturalized center and former NBA player has simply been underwhelming (10 pts, 7 reb, 5.5 turnovers per game) — his poor play punctuated by him fouling out after a five-point, four-rebound outing versus Serbia.

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Guiao didn't want to point fingers, but he summed it up perfectly, "The reason why we chose a big man for our naturalized player is basically give us an inside presence. But again, that's not happening."

Whether Blatche goes out with guns blazing or not depends on how he wants to be remembered as a Gilas player.

GILAS vs ANGOLA

Subpar defense, execution, and shooting have haunted both teams against Italy and Serbia, which is why their ability to turn those things around will determine how they wrap up the World Cup.

The Philippines has been the better passing squad with a combined 24 assists (to Angola's 13), but the Angolans have been slightly better from deep with 10 threes for 22.7 percent (to Gilas' seven and 14.9 percent) in two games.

Breakout performances from their stars mentioned above will lead each group to a meaningless victory, but the outcome means a lot for the future of the respective basketball programs.

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For Gilas, the quest for an Olympic berth continues, especially if China loses its final match against Venezuela tonight. The Philippines can still qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan through the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which will happen from July 6 to 12 next year.

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