Noel Zarate 6y

Five takeaways from Gilas Pilipinas' win over Japan

Philippines Basketball

The Philippines' men's basketball team is out of medal contention but already improved on the last showing in the Asian Games four years ago where the team placed seventh.

The Philippines will take on Syria with a chance for a fifth-place finish. We look at five things we learned about the Philippines squad.

Jordan Clarkson's evolution with the national team

Clarkson arrived in the third quarter of the opening game against Kazakhstan and began observing how things were done under coach Yeng Guiao. He sat beside skipper Asi Taulava and began asking questions. Clarkson started off slow in the crucial match-up against China and while he did have the expected explosion in the second half, muscle cramps got the better of him and the Philippines lost a tight game.

He was steady against Korea in the quarterfinals but Korea held on.

Clarkson was in full attack mode against the hapless Japan team and had more than enough highlight packages to fill up an entire edition of SportsCenter Philippines. He was more relaxed and didn't take it upon himself to carry the load as he tried to do in his first two games. He also had nine assists to go with his 23 points. 

Clarkson was finally in game-shape after a long layoff following the NBA Finals. He was the player who had the least time to prepare but is showing why he was so sought after. He could go off for a triple-double against Syria at the rate he is peaking.

Christian Standhardinger brought the whole package

Japan's team may be depleted, but they are not a small team. Atsuya Ota and Avi Schafer are taller and just as fast as he is, but the 6-foot-8 Standhardinger came away with a tournament-high 27 points to go with 13 boards and played aggressively on defense.

Standhardinger is used to seeing a lot of burn as a member of the Hong Kong Eastern squad in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) and when he's on the floor, it's always full throttle. It made the choice for Guiao on which naturalized player to utilize in the upcoming fourth window of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers even more difficult but chances are Standhardinger just booked himself a ticket to Tehran. His unorthodox moves -- he oftentimes is wrong-footed on his layups -- and his tenacious defense were perhaps the most vital key in the triumph over Japan.

The Philippines dominated Japan on the offensive boards

Against China, it was understandable that the Philippine would lose the rebounding battle as several 7-footers made life tough for the Filipinos. But against Korea, the squad allowed 18 offensive rebounds and it cost them the game. Against the tall Japan frontline, the Philippines swarmed the ball and Standhardinger appeared to want the ball more as the nationals chalked up a 13-5 edge.  

Finally connecting from 3-point range

The Philippines erupted from beyond the arc, going 12-for-25 from deep. The team was more relaxed against Japan and with less defensive pressure the Philippines finally showed they can connect on 3-pointers. This needs to be replicated against Syria, a team that thrives on their mechanical offensive sets and perimeter strengths.

Guiao showed a glimpse of what the World Cup qualifiers fourth window will look like

It is hard to compare coach Chot Reyes' dribble-drive and Guiao's free-flowing motion offense. Both are effective and both are intricate. But with the victories over Kazakhstan and Japan, Guiao's system fit his team . It did not require taller players to run, just astute playmaking coupled with knowing where to be at any given time. There were several turnovers when a movement was missed.

Guiao will again not have much time to put a team together and immersed in the system by the time they have to leave for Iran, but if the players on his wishlist can start analyzing video from the Asian Games they will begin to figure it out.

If indeed the PBA mother teams will allow Greg Slaughter, Scottie Thompson, Ian Sangalang, Marcio Lassiter and Alex Cabagnot to be available for Gilas in September, then those players may begin to dissect how it is done and by their first practice on Monday, then they won't be starting from scratch.

The Philippines lost to Korea because it was outrebounded. The Philippines didn't finish strong and lost to China. The Philippines was one Poy Erram lay-up away from completely altering the results of the tournament. With just a bit more time to prepare for the fourth window, Guiao is in a favorable position and could weave his magic against Iran and Qatar.

The game against Syria will be the final test of Guiao's system before Clarkson returns to the Cleveland Cavaliers. But the win against Japan was huge in terms of morale and learning the system. If Guiao gets all the pieces he needs, sweeping the upcoming fourth window may not be out of the question.

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