Gilas in the PBA: This Time, It Counts

A little more than a year since they last saw action in the big league, Smart Gilas Pilipinas made their return as they beat their “sister team" Talk N’ Text, 103-98, on Friday in Antipolo. After bagging the Philippine Cup, TnT took 10 days off, then spent the next 10 to prepare for their Commissioner's Cup campaign, and it showed. Gilas started Chris Tiu, Mark Barroca, Aldriech Ramos, Marcio Lassiter and naturalization candidate Marcus Douthit as they held the Tropa without a field goal in the first five minutes of the contest on the way to building a 14-point lead. Toughness is one aspect that Coach Rajko Toroman was hoping to build in this stint, and that is exactly what they witnessed as the Texters 2nd unit checked in. Jason Castro came off the bench and finally got the TnT offense going after they only had ne free throw to show. It took import Paul Harris another two minutes to get the Texters’ 5thpoint as Gilas’ stonewall defense holding the pros down. Then, the nationals began to have a hard time getting to the rim against TnTs physicality underneath, as well as pressure in the backcourt. It saw their lead cut to three by the end of the first frame. Gilas looked a little lost as TnT moved the ball around with ease to open the 2nd quarter and score eight consecutive points. Jayvee Casio and Chris Tiu knocked in a three-pointer each that opened up the lane as Gilas came back to within one heading into the turn. So far, so good: Gilas got to play their kind of game, but the Philippine Cup champs kept in step with them the rest of the way. Gilas can run, shoot from the outside, break the pressure defense in the backcourt, go inside-out, dribble-drive, penetrate and kick out… but so could the Tropa. The big question was if the national team could defend against the same type of game? Talk 'N Text played virtually the same way when they captured the Philippine Cup, so it was no surprise to see them up by two heading into the final frame. "Kuya" Marcus Douthit already had a double-double by the 3rd quarter, Lassiter showed he can score from everywhere, while Barroca proved once again that he is truly a spitfire. But it was still TnT up by eight early in the 4th quarter. Then Smart Gilas got back down to work. The numerous international competitions this group has participated in made these young guns look like "seasoned" players. Gilas didn't panic, with Chris Tiu’s poise inspiring them as they got themselves back ahead by one with just over three minutes to go. Then, up by three after Casio's 5th consecutive point as the two-minute warning blasted, Barroca took it strong to the hole, drawing two defenders, before dropping it off to Douthit to give themselves a five-point cushion. After two free throws by Castro and a huge Douthit turnover, it was gut-check time for our national hopefuls. They would have to pull off this monumental upset on the defensive end of the floor. They scrambled, keeping a body between the Texters’ shooters and the rim, forcing Ryan Reyes to miss a desperation shot. And that was all she wrote. Chris Tiu eventually knocked down two free throws to seal the victory that should serve notice to the rest of the league. Marcus Douthit used his 6-foot-10 frame to collect 16 points, 25 rebounds and five shot blocks, while almost everybody else had solid contributions as Smart Gilas Pilipinas took down the Philippine Cup champions. Although the toughness they need still remains in question, the poise these boys showed was definitely evident. This victory should turn numerous heads in the sporting world, with the other eight teams now getting a glimpse of what to expect from this edition of Pilipinas basketball. - OMG/KY, GMA News