HANGZHOU – Tim Cone considered Jordan, starring Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, as the best team in the men’s basketball competitions of the 19th Asian Games.
And it so happened, Gilas Pilipinas got grouped and later ran smack against the Jordanians, who dealt the Philippine side an 87-62 beating to reach the quarterfinals.
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Down but not out: Cone, Gilas focus on must-win game against Qatar
Given another chance, Cone would love to face the same team again later as the tournament wears on.
“We’re hoping we could meet them again if we could earn our way back to the finals,” said the Gilas mentor. “I’m nearly 100 percent sure they’ll be in the finals.”
Hollis-Jefferson, no stranger to the entire Gilas team for having been the Best Import in the last PBA Governors Cup with TNT, torched the national team for 24 points, six rebounds, and nine assists despite struggling with his game early on.
Cone noted Jordan is the same intact team that saw action in the FIBA World Cup in Manila, with the addition of center (John) Bohannon in the Asiad lineup.
“We knew we were playing the best team in the tournament with Jefferson and Bohannon,” said Cone. “They’re a World Cup team. They’re the same team as in the World Cup except that they hadn’t had Bohannon, which makes them even better.
“If we get a second chance at them, I think we can beat them.”
But before Cone gets his wish, Gilas needs to take care of an even tougher business first.
The Filipinos need to get past Qatar on Monday in the 4 p.m. classification for quarterfinals game at the Zhegiang University Zijingang Stadium.
A victory will clinch for Gilas a berth in the quarterfinals against Pool A top seed Iran.
Gilas' path to medal rounds
Advancing further would set up a possible semifinal collision with either South Korea or defending champion China.
“We gotta get Qatar, which we feel we could beat. And then we gonna go after Iran. I think we got a good shot at beating Iran, and that will take us to the Final Four,” Cone stressed.
“Then we’re gonna look at China and Korea. Hopefully, we can find a way to put a good game together there (in the semis) against either team, and then hopefully, get back and play Jordan again. That’s the goal.”
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