MANILA, Philippines – If Gilas Pilipinas plays the same way it did in its loss to Chinese Taipei, it will be in a whole lot of trouble when it goes up against New Zealand.
The Tall Blacks, who suffered a shocking first loss at the hands of the Philippines three months ago, will surely have that stunner in mind when they host Gilas Pilipinas on Sunday, February 23, for the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
Last November 21, Tim Cone and Gilas Pilipinas snatched a pulsating 93-89 victory over New Zealand at the jam-packed Mall of Asia Arena.
Prior to that, the Philippines had lost four straight games to the Tall Blacks, the last three under coach Chot Reyes, by an average margin of 29.3 points.
In their fifth encounter, both sides displayed impressive shooting from the field, although from different portions of the floor.
The Tall Blacks connected on 51.4% from three, while Gilas sank 57.8% from two, with the Philippines dominating inside by dumping the ball down low to Kai Sotto and having Justin Brownlee constantly take it strong to the hoop.
Only five Tall Blacks who played in Manila will be back in the roster that will attempt to defend their home floor against the visiting Filipinos.
Conspicuously missing is former Converge import Tom Vodanovich, who dropped 19 points built on five triples against Gilas last November.
It is still unclear if Corey Webster will suit up versus Gilas. The 6-foot-2 guard, who played college ball in the United States, was named to the New Zealand pool but did not see action in the Tall Blacks’ 92-51 win over Hong Kong on Thursday.
Webster was too much to handle for any of the Gilas defenders last November as he exploded for 25 points, 15 coming from beyond the arc. He also earned the ire of Filipino fans for inflammatory comments he made on his Instagram accounts about “home cooking” after their loss.
But even without Webster, New Zealand still has enough in its arsenal.
The home crowd at the Aukland Spark Arena will be happy to see a number of returning seasoned internationalists wearing the New Zealand jersey anew.
Expected to give Gilas Pilipinas a major headache will be 6-foot-6 guard-forward Reuben Te Rangi.
During the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila, Te Rangi was the joint leading scorer of New Zealand, scoring 16.4 points a game (tied with big man Finn Delany). The 30-year-old Te Rangi will be a matchup problem for Gilas with his size, strength, and versatility.
Two FIBA World Cup veterans will also provide New Zealand with muscle against Gilas — the 6-foot-9 power forward Tohi Smith-Milner and 6-foot-5 small forward Jordan Ngatai, both bruising forwards who will be tasked to push away Fajardo, AJ Edu, and Carl Tamayo from the shaded lane.
The 29-year-old Smith-Milner currently plays in the Australian NBL for the Brisbane Bullets and has been playing for the Tall Blacks since 2017. The 31-year-old Ngatai, meanwhile, is an import in the pro league in Austria who has been with the national team since 2013.
Ngatai and Te Rangi led the charge against Hong Kong, scoring 20 and 18, respectively.
In the last Gilas-Tall Blacks duel, the Philippines dominated the boards with 44 rebounds compared to just 31 by New Zealand, which only had 6-foot-10 Sam Waardenburg and an ineffective 7-foot Tyler Harrison as its legitimate big.
Waardenburg, who averages 14.5 points and 6.4 rebounds this season in the Australian NBL for the Cairns Taipans, posted 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks against Gilas.
This time, New Zealand has bolstered its frontline with a rotation made up of Waardenburg, Smith-Milner, and former University of Kentucky Wildcats’ 6-foot-10 center-forward Tai Wynyard.
Also back from the lineup that played in Manila are steady playmaker Taylor Britt, who ably orchestrated the Kiwi offense against Gilas by dishing out 13 assists; and 6-foot-4 Walter Brown who, like Te Rangi, plays pro ball in the Australian NBL for the Tasmanian Jackjumpers.
Judd Flavell handled the Tall Blacks for the first time last November but has now already warmed his seat as the man at the head coaching helm of the Tall Blacks.
The 2024 New Zealand NBL Coach of the Year has had time to instill his system. He has assembled a good mix of veteran and youth. Four of the players he selected are below 21 years old, including two teenage guards, 18-year-old Tamatoa Isaac and 16-year-old Jackson Ball.
Last Thursday, Chinese Taipei made 15 triples against the porous defense of the Philippines. So expect the Tall Blacks to punish Gilas Pilipinas if the Filipinos’ defense continues to be substandard.
New Zealand continues to live and die by the three, sinking 12 triples versus Hong Kong from 25 attempts on Thursday.
The only reason the Tall Blacks did not attempt more from distance is because they forced Hong Kong into 24 turnovers, resulting in 20 fastbreak points for New Zealand, which in most of their previous games was not known for its running game.
New Zealand will not want to lose in front of its home floor. The prospect of exacting payback also fuels the Tall Blacks’ fire even more.
Cone will want to end the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers on a winning note. However, the recent form of Gilas Pilipinas has given rise to doubts about its ability to repeat over New Zealand. – Rappler.com