The Final Score: The untitled column of a Gilas believer

I'm proud of Gilas and what they stand for. It just hurts to say it out loud right now. But I am. Because right now, I can't help but feel these: how we ruin the dream for ourselves when we miss 20 out of 23 three point shots against Jordan in the Semis, when we allow Korea's Cho Sung Min, who played one minute and scored zero against China the night before, to shoot like Allan Caidic and blast us for 15 points in the fourth quarter of the Bronze Medal game, when we all believe we could win then miss crucial free throws in the final moments to make sure it doesn't happen. Kasalanan ang magpa-asa. Kasalanan din ang umasa. Yan ang mahirap sa mga may ambisyon. Tulad ng Gilas. Sila ang may kakayahang maging inspirasyon. Hindi ang umaatras agad. Hindi ang mahiyain. Ngunit ang mga nangangarap din - sila na may kapal ng mukha para sabihin sa tao na, "Pare, kaya natin 'to." - ang sisisihin kapag nabigo ang lahat ng naniwala. Eto na ang walang-patawad na kabalintunaan. Lumaban-laban pa kasi tayo sa FIBA-Asia Championship! Kayo kasi! Sumubok pa kasi! Hindi niyo rin pala matutupad! Olats din sa huli. Luhaan din sa dulo. Kung kaya't mabuti pa ang mga hindi naniniwala sa Gilas. Hindi sila nasaktan. Eh ano ngayon kung mas mataas pa ang final placing natin sa back-to-back champion Iran? Mabuti pa ang walang interes na makabalik tayo sa Olympics, hindi sila nagmukhang tanga. Mabuti pa ang torpe. Maaring torpe lamang ang hindi nanghinayang sa pagkatalo ng Gilas sa Jordan sa Semi-Finals. Baka torpe lamang ang hindi nanlambot matapos talunin ng Korea ang Gilas sa Battle for Third. Ano nga ba atraso natin ulit sa Jordan at Korea? Sila na naman ang panalo. Tayo na naman ang nagkamali. Kaya kung torpe ka, masuwerte ka. The timid need not worry that the "Sisihan Season" officially begins. We now scream: It's Toroman's fault. It's his fault. It's her fault. Kasalanan ni Olsen Racela kasi siya nag-cover ng game on television because, clearly and undeniably, Olsen's missed free throws back in 2002 against Korea was the very reason Gilas lost to Korea nine years later. We say and do stupid things when we're heartbroken. Like punch the wall and break our fingers in the process. Gains by Gilas convince us to believe. Losses by them, especially games lost in the most cruel of ways, discourage us from even trying. Yet the alternative is even more tragic. To not dare. To not dream. The Brooklyn Dodgers could never win. The Boston Red Sox could never succeed. Yet their day came. Ours will come too. I'm too hurt to think of a better title for this column. But I'm positive enough to wait for dreams to materialize and dreamers like Gilas to finally make it happen. Dahil, kahit sa pang-araw-araw na buhay, mas okay na sa akin ang maging hibang kaysa ang maging takot. - GMA News