BANGKOK – Robert Bolick admitted the final moments of the final match between Gilas Pilipinas and Thailand was questionable to say the least, but glad that they were able to survive and claim the gold medal.
Bolick said Gilas Pilipinas was able to overcome that with their sheer desire to win the gold medal in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
READ: Malonzo comes up big as Gilas denies Thailand, retains SEAG gold
“Kita niyo naman ‘yung ginawa nila nung fourth,” said Bolick.
“’Yung marunong sa basketball, alam na alam niyo ‘yung pinagagawa nila. Pero kahit anong gawin, basta may Panginoon, may mga Pilipino, may coaching staff kami, kami nag-iisa lang, nakuha namin ‘yung ginto.”
When pressed further on what he was referring to, Bolick responded:
“Alam na alam niyo na ‘yan. Hindi ko na kailangang sabihin. Hindi na basketball ‘yun eh. Bahala na kung ano tawag doon. Daya na ata ‘yun. Kita niyo naman talaga. Pero nag-iisa pa rin kami, lumaban pa rin kami.”
The Philippines had 31 fouls in the contest, with Poy Erram and Matthew Wright even fouling out in the ballgame. The fouls resulted to a 26-of-37 shooting from the foul line from Thailand.
Despite the odds, Gilas Pilipinas was able to secure the gold with a 70-64.
Even head coach Norman Black was not spared as he was called for a technical foul late in the game for complaining.
“I wasn’t really affected by the crowd because our group was as loud as all of them. I was a little bit affected by the referees because some of the calls were really questionable," Black said. "But it’s part of it I guess."
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