The Russians trailed by as much as ten midway in the third canto. A further blow was sent their way when Kirilenko was called for his fourth foul on a good acting job by Spain’s Jimenez. But the Russians fought back hard via the exploits of Victor Khryapa and his killer three as time expired in the third. Gasol had a chance to win the ballgame for Spain, but his jumper bounced in-and-out as time expired.

NBA stars Pau Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies and Juan Carlos Navarro of the Washington Wizards paced Team Espana with 23 points. Jose Calderon of the Toronto Raptors added 18.

Spain will now advance to the Finals of FIBA Europe, and will be up against Russia. (photo courtesy of yahoo nba)

Â

Â

But in the recent FIBA Americas, the Americans have once again shown their supremacy and that they will be favorites for the gold in the Beijing Olympics next year. They have dominated their opposition, relentless on defense, put the pressure on for the full 40 minutes, loaded their roster with shooters, and were extremely unselfish. If this goes on, no doubt, USA will once again be a force to reckon with.

It was a sight to behold superstars Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James passing to each other and to their teammates for easy dunks and open threes. Bryant never held back on defense as he shackled down each and every opponent’s star. Brazil’s Leandro Barbosa had only four points, Puerto Rico’s Larry Ayuso could not get his production to double digits, and Argentina’s Carlos Delfino was miserable, everyone was reduced to almost nothing against Kobe’s defense.

Furthermore, the Americans were above 50% from the three-point line in this tournament, made by stellar plays and efficient ball-rotation. Two weaknesses addressed by this team. I would not be surprised if they bag the gold again. With that talent and teamwork, no other country in the world can even challenge them. (photo courtesy of yahoonba.com)

Argentina scored in well-polished pick-and-rolls and set-plays. They also played good defense. They forced a lot of turnovers and had more steals. What makes it more interesting was four of their NBA players (Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto, Andres Nocioni and Pepe Sanchez) did not play, and their other two mainstays were not their usual scoring self. Luis Scola was plagued with foul trouble, and Carlos Delfino struggled, due mainly to Kobe Bryant’s pesky defense.

The talent of the Americans was just too much for the Argentinians, but they put up a fight, and had the lowest scoring margin. USA never had much of a challenge in this tournament. But it would be interesting to note how the game could have been if all the stars of Argentina played. It could have been a ball game! Manu and the rest needed not play in the FIBA Americas since they are shoo-in already in the Beijing Olympics, by virtue of their being the defending champions. (photo courtesy of yahoonba.com)

Â

I love how USA moves the ball around when playing against the zone. They pass from end-to-end, and the bigs are cutting towards the basket. They have had more assists than any team in the FIBA Americas tournament. And those extra passes have resulted in corner-threes or easy rim-rattling dunks.

Puerto Rico has dealt the NBA-laden Team USA the worst in international games ever, a 73-92 loss in the 2004 Olympics. They avenged that earlier as they humiliated Puerto Rico 117-78, and they beat the zone with perfection through constant passing and efficient ball movement.

Although at times, some players to ball hog, but Coach K has done a good job reminding his stars to pass the ball around so that their plays will be effective. In FIBA games, the ball should not stay too long in a single player’s hands because the defense will collapse. Kobe Bryant learned that as the ball was stolen from him when he tried to hold the ball for too long.

The biggest test for the Americans will come this Thursday night against fellow unbeaten team Argentina which boasts of NBA players Carlos Delfino (Toronto Raptors), Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs), Luis Scola (Houston Rockets), Andres Nocioni (Chicago Bulls) and Fabricio Oberto (Spurs). (photo courtesy of yahoonba.com)

Â

Â

They started the tournament with a 43-point demolition against Venezuela, followed it
with a mighty 64-point rout over US Virgin Islands and a 50-point thrashing of Canada. They then ended elimination play with a 37-point romp against defending Americas champions Brazil, and limited Phoenix Suns guard Leandrino Barbosa to just four points, a feat being attributed to Kobe Bryant’s pesky defense.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski has done a very good job defining their roles. They are all men in a mission, and they are united to bring back glory to American and NBA basketball, which was once at its pinnacle when the Michael Jordan-led Dream Team of 92 dominated the Olympics, with an average winning margin of over-40 points.

Two things led to this dominance: teamwork and great defense. There is no question about the Americans’ talent and skills. They are the best in the world. But in the past international tournaments, what was lacking was team play and outside shooting that would defeat the zone.

Coach K addressed these crises by loading the team with great shooters in Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Michael Redd, Mike Miller and Chauncey Billups. They have been hitting their stride. Plus that extra pass has made them deadlier. How many time have we seen Redd and Miller open for that corner three.

The team always make that extra pass not only to the shooters but to the cutters as well. Jason Kidd, though at 34, has been the catalyst of the crisp passing of Team USA. He knows where and when to pass. Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire and LeBron James have been having their way with easy dunks because of Kidd, and it has been contagious! We have been seeing Kobe, Melo and LBJ dishing a lot of dimes to each other for those uncontested rim-rattlers.

Then there’s that annoying and aggressive pressure defense that they employ. It starts with the guards Kobe and Kidd rattling the opponents, and anchored on Howard and Amare’s shot blocking abilities. This defense has led to numerous fast breaks and easy points.

With this newfound resolve, they are now a legitimate team to be feared. And they are young. They will be a force to reckon with for a long time.

The center/forwards are Asi Taulava, Mick Penissi, Eric Menk, Kerby Raymundo and Kelly Williams. The wingmen are Gabe Norwood, Danny Seigle, James Yap and Dondon Hontiveros. And the guards are Jayjay Helterbrand,  Jimmy Alapag and the terrific Mark Caguioa. So I axed out Renren Ritualo, Ranidel de Ocampo and Tony dela Cruz.

Asi has been the mop man of this team, the true warrior. He sacrifices his body, he goes for loose balls, he doesn’t care if he doesn’t score. Too bad, he is just 6-9. If only he is a lot taller, then the team would have been impossible. Penissi, who at 6-9, provides another dimension to the game. He is the only other legitimate center for the team, and he can snipe from the outside. He is also pretty good at that.

And there’s Kelly, he should have been part of this since Day One. He is so athletic, can shoot the ocassional three, can drive to the hole, and he is best in rattling the ball back inside the rim. He reminds me of Shawn Marion, and the Philippines are diminutive, thus, it’s a good thing they play like the Phoenix Suns.

Gabe Norwood provides a outside shooting, versatility and ball-handling when Helterbrand and Alapag are not on the floor. He is a blessing for this squad, and not being drafted in the NBA is a further blessing. Then there’s Dondon Hontiveros. He does it all, he defends and scores. He is all heart and I love it! He’s got the hustle and the talent. I chose James Yap over Ritualo, since James provides more than just the three. Ritualo was never consistent, and he does not play defense. James is as good a shooter, plus he rebounds.

Alapag can lead this team at times specially when the top two scorers struggle. He is extremely quit, and the team can count on him for those pin-point passes. The two leaders are of course, Mark Caguioa and Danny Seigle. They will be tasked to take the last shots, and to dig the team out of the hole when they are slumping. Danny proved it in the first tournaments in SEABA, US and Serbia. Mark was the star in Taipei and Manila. Let’s see how unstoppable they will be in Tokushima!

Â

But those dribbling exhibitions and great one-on-one plays remind everyone of the NBA style of play, and it separates them from the rest. In the recently concluded Jones Cup, a lot of times defenses were broken by the Filipino guards’ crossover dribbles. They are quick, and they are the fastest and speediest team in Asia right now. No one else comes near to their quickness and ability with the ball.

Fatigue has to be attributed to their third place finish. But if luck was on their side, they could have won the tournament. They lost two heart-breaking games on buzzer-beaters after leading by as much as ten in the final periods of both games. Their other loss to Jordan was just a four-point setback. If Kerby Raymundo only made those two crucial free-throws, it could have spelled the difference. That loss to Kazakhstan was ugly. But any time an opponent hits 60% of their threes, well chalk that win for them.

All in all, the Philippines may lack height, but they have athleticism and speed going their way. They play to their strengths, and we learned a lot from those losses. Those were good defeats. Given time, the Philippines may be back as second to China in Asia.

I love our guards. Mark Caguioa, Jimmy Alapag, Jayjay Helterbrand, Dondon Hontiveros and James Yap are all undersized, but they used their speed and quickness to their advantage. Have you seen those cross-overs. Our players especially Mark and Jayjay literally created space between them and their defenders, it was like the Red Sea has parted anew.

And our forwards had most of the highlights in this tournament. All the fans in that stadium were up on their feet when they saw Kelly Williams plunged that follow-up dunk on the Iranians. They were all stunned. It was replayed eight times by my last count. Gabe Norwood and Williams have had their share of in-your-face slams.

And I believe in Asi Taulava. He is not doing any damage in scoring, but his hustle plays, rebounding and defense. He is matching up against the tallest Asian centers, 7-3 Ha Seung Jin of Korea, that 7-2 Iranian center, seven-footers from Jordan and those huge American cagers. He stood his ground and Asi limited their production at will. Too bad he is just 6-9. If only the Philippines has a seven-footer or just a 6-11 guy who plays like Taulava, we may contend China as the best in Asian basketball. (Sigh…)

Â

Actually, the Philippine were coming from two heart-breaking losses against Lebanon and Japan. The Philippines led by as much as ten in the fourth quarter of both games. And in both instances, they were beaten by buzzer-beaters.

The first one was a heave from Lebanon as time expired. It was really lucky shot – a banked three-point runner. Lebanon won 65-62. The second misfortune was a hussle play from Japan. The Japanese stole an errant pass from Dondon Hontiveros, and made an easy open lay-up on the other end with a second remaining to upset the Filipinos, 86-84. Team Pilipinas also led by as much as ten with four minutes remaining.

Things were getting gloomy once again for our National quintet against Korea, as they blew a nine-point bubble in the first half, in the same fashion as that of the end-games of their two losses. Hontiveros shot the ball too soon in the dying seconds of the first half. The Koreans, then, went for a buzzer-beating lay-up to break a 41-all deadlock at the end of the first half.

Fortunately, it was just the first half. The Filipinos learned from their mistake too soon. They made crucial shots and huge defensive plays in the final minutes of this game. It was even punctuated by a gravity-defying dunk from Gabe Norwood off a no-look pass from Kerby Raymundo, to seal the deal for the Philippines as they won, 88-84, against a huge Korean team.

Asi Taulava was the best player of that team, though his huge contributions won’t show on the stat sheet. He was able to stop NBDL veteran and former Portland Trailblazer Ha Seung Jin from wreaking havoc inside the lanes. Ha was a non-factor in this one. Taulava also grabbed crucial rebounds and dished out timely passes, a huge-one to a cutting Kelly Williams for the rim-rattling slam jam. Asi, himself, had two huge in-your-face dunks against the Koreans.

Mark Caguioa led the Filipinos with 18 points on 7-13 shooting from the field. Hontiveros also had a good scoring game, but he had to sit out a lot of minutes due to foul trouble. He eventually fouled out in the final canto.

The big difference of the game of the Filipinos in their wins against their losses is that the Filipinos never led in double-digits in their wins. They were hungrier and more focused. They played to win. Whereas in their two losses, the Filipinos were comfortably ahead, and they relaxed and panicked at the end. They played not to lose.

I am glad though that the Nationals learned from their previous games this early. I rather have them loose in this Jones Cup, than they will encounter such mistakes in FIBA-Asia. The goal is to get back in the Olympics, and it is tough road going there. It’s better that they face challenges on the road, rather than a have a smooth one, whipping teams, and face these challenges later on, when they are already in Japan.

I believe in our National team, and getting the top two spots in the Japan jousts is highly attainable. Mabuhay Pilipinas!