Gilas Pilipinas (3 - 1) def. Qatar (3 - 1) 80 - 70
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| Japeth sure does like smashing the rim huh. Good thing that backboard is still steady. (credits to interaksyon.com) |
Well rise they did. And they did so, with ruthless aggression.
Probably for some of you, the term ruthless aggression rings a bell. The term ruthless aggression is most popularly used to name the era after the every so popular Attitude Era in the WWE. Why Ruthless Aggression? Well, other than the the material being presented being less obscene, it focused more on the physical aspect of feuds rather than the emotional aspect of them. In short, the violence the occurred in the ring was the one that was placed with utmost importance.
Gilas played with ruthless aggression in that game. They played with a certain I don't care attitude which can do wonders for a team's chances of winning.
Two players lead this ruthless charge of Gilas Pilipinas. Those two players are none other than Japeth Aguilar and Marcus Douthit.
Marcus has been having a quiet tournament, at least compared to his standards. Sure he's been averaging a double double, but it's a far cry from the monster 21.1 point, 12.2 rebound average he had 2 years ago in Wuhan, where in my opinion, he should have been named in the Mythical Five, not Hamed Haddadi. It hasn't been too troubling considering the fact that Japeth Aguilar, Ranidel De Ocampo, Gabe Norwood and Jayson Castro have all been stepping up for Gilas.
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| Marcus has been incredibly aggressive these past few games. Let's just hope his injury isn't too serious. (credits to interaksyon.com) |
Well, Marcus didn't are that they've been contributing. He didn't care that they've been torching opposing teams with their scoring. Big daddy Douthit wanted to add fuel to the fire. He'd wound up with a monster stat line of 19 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists. He started playing with aggression against Japan, and he successfully brought it over to the game against Qatar. If I were opposing teams, I would fear for my life.
Japeth wasn't considered a shoo - in for Gilas, in fact, he was one of the players being considered to get cut in exchange for Beau Belga. I couldn't blame them. He's had problems with Coach Chot in the past, and he is quite the prima donna.
Japeth's been proving us wrong in this tournament. Japeth's making us look like idiots, really.
The whole tournament, Japeth has been living up to him being giving a role as a back up to Marcus, and he has been going it well. He's been providing quality minutes with great defense against opposing teams, and some offense as well. That was well punctuated with his 14 point, 7 rebound performance, plus three thunderous dunks. Just, ruthless.
Gilas played this game with a sense of urgency, with doing so, they wanted to send a message to the playing field. They wanted them to know that, when you face us, there will be no friends friends. No hospitality. Just you, the opposing country, in our way from the FIBA Asia Title that we have been clamoring for the past two decades. Now, Gilas waits for what fate will bring them too. Whether it be China or Kazakhstan who Gilas will be facing in the quarter finals, one thing is for sure. They will play with ruthless aggression.
LABAN PILIPINAS!
In order for Gilas to have a shot at the 1st place spot, they will have to win their game against Hong Kong, and Qatar will have to beat Chinese Taipei by less than 16 points.
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