Gilas vs. Dominican Republic:
Our preview of the Gilas vs. Dominican Republic match-up will be held a few hours from now at the historic Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan. After Gilas Pilipinas wrapped up their preparatory friendlies against Ivory Coast, Montenegro, and Mexico, Philippine coach Chot Reyes is hoping for an upset against the visiting South Americans.
Gilas Pilipinas, with the leadership of NBA veteran Jordan Clarkson, kicked off its bid to earn passage to the world’s most prestigious sporting event, the 2024 Paris Olympics-which can be achieved only if they become the highest Asian finisher in the FIBA World Cup 2023.
The Philippine Team will have a good game or an underdog tag against the Dominican Republic, spearheaded by NBA All-Star and Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns. The game will start at around 8:00 PM tonight, Friday, at the 55,000-capacity Philippine Arena.
The Filipino organizers of the FIBA World Cup also aim to get the record of having the most gate attendance and spectators in a World Cup game, as some insiders reported that almost all the tickets were already sold or an estimated 43,000 tickets were already distributed.
FIBA World Cup attendance, or considered the most well-attended game, is 32,616. With this number, the Philippines will have an excellent chance to break the previous World Cup records.
According to Coach Chot Reyes, he is concerned with the legitimate NBA All-Star and first-team player, in the person of Karl-Anthony Towns, considered one of Gilas’ problems, so he is looking back to a defensive-minded forward who played for him before.
Coach Chot Reyes also noted that against the Dominican Republic, he could have to borrow a page from Villanova coach Rollie Massimino, who crafted an overall strategy thirty-eight years ago in the US NCAA Final. The team defeated and stunned Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Hoyas 66-64.
They could borrow from Villanova’s book of success against big men by alternating June Mar Fajardo, AJ Edu, Japeth Aguilar, and Jamie Malonzo to slow down Towns for them to launch an ultra-efficient counter-offense.
The Philippine national men’s basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, is bracketed with World No. 10 Italy and Angola in Group A, where the top two teams will advance to the second round against their counterparts from Group B (Serbia, China, South Korea, and Puerto Rico).
Gilas Pilipinas will face Angola on August 27, 2023, and Italy on August 29, 2023, both at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, and the good thing but difficult task is the Nationals need at least two wins to get a shot at an Olympic berth.
The Filipinos, led by former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson, laser-focused on their daunting mission to upset the Dominican Republic. Gilas’ coach has dedicated the last few days to the team’s preparations for their game plan.
The Dominican Republic is a strong team after they beat Canada, and Canada beat Spain. The Karl-Anthony Towns-led Dominican Republic played and almost defeated Spain, but they came short. The Gilas vs. Dominican Republic game is a real test for the South American squad.
Jordan Clarkson is expected to provide the explosivity of Gilas Pilipinas. Still, he needs all the support from big man Kai Sotto and Scottie Thompson, veteran PBA stalwart June Mar Fajardo, and internationally-based Filipinos AJ Edu and Dwight Ramos.
Meanwhile, Head Coach Nestor Garcia was not taking the hosts lightly for the Dominican Republic side and was wary of the Filipino crowds at the Philippine Arena, which is looking forward to succeeding in making a world record crowd in any FIBA World Cup event.
Watch the Gilas vs. Dominican Republic Preview Video:
The visiting coach also noted that Filipinos are excellent shooters, and when they play locally, they step up their level.
“There will be many people in the game. In this country, they love basketball and support the team, but we are focused that when you play good, you can play and win everywhere,” Nestor Garcia said.
Karl-Anthony Towns is expected to be the Dominicans’ focal point of the offense. Still, they also need the offensive prowess of Victor Liz, Gervis Solano, and team captain Eloy Vargas, who had played against Jordan Clarkson during his early days in the G League.
The Gilas vs. Dominican Republic game and results will be a big boost for the Filipino communities if they win, but a loss will be an uphill climb for the Nationals as they need to defeat Italy in the next succeeding games.
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