MANILA, Philippines — Coach Tim Cone said Gilas Pilipinas’ narrow 103-98 comeback win against the visiting Macau Black Bears on Monday night gave him a good gauge on where the national team is just two weeks after they resumed practice.
The Filipinos had a slow start and were tentative during the first half in their sendoff game. Cone’s charges fell by as many as 21 points against the Black Bears, who have ruled the past three legs in The Asian Tournament.
“I think the guys had a hard time getting their legs under them in the beginning,” Cone told media men after the game. “But once they got in, they were fine. We (just) got to be able to execute a little better.” Gilas had 19 turnovers, which Macau translated to 32 points.
However, with CJ Perez injecting the needed defensive energy in the third canto, which saw Gilas outscore Macau, 33-18, that gave the home team the needed momentum heading to the final period to finish with a flurry for the win.
Get the latest news
delivered to your inbox Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
“We don’t want to restrict these guys to strictly execution. They are basketball players, and they are elite basketball players so we got to allow them to play their game,” explained the PBA’s all-time winningest coach.
“That’s what happened in the second half. They are some of the best players in the country, so we got to allow them to play,” he added.
Advertisement
Cone raved on the energy provided by Perez, who sat out the first half, before sparking Gilas’ second half comeback.
Perez, who is fresh off helping San Miguel win the PBA Philippine Cup title, contributed seven points, two rebounds and two blocks in that win.
“I always felt CJ is a game changer that’s why he’s on the team,” Cone said on the top PBA rookie pick in the 2018 draft.
“He’s the guy that comes out and changes the tempo of the game. CJ can come off the bench and can change the game at times,” he added.
Advertisement
Cone expects Gilas to improve further in the days to come as the team takes on Jordan in its final friendly game, before plunging to action against Taiwan in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 on August 6 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
