Smart Gilas wins over KSA

It was a very entertaining game for Filipinos to see our very own Smart Gilas got its first win in the FIBA Aisa tournament.

The first thing I noticed was the great ball movement by the team. Making extra passes to hit the open man. Japeth was great in a stretch where he blocked three shots. Marc Pingris was also impressive with his blue collar work. Smart Gilas dominated the boards with 52 rebounds. All in all for it was a great team effort for Smart Gilas and congratulations in their first win.  This win is a great confidence boost for them, making them feel they can take anybody.

In a basketball fanatic point of view, there were some issues in the team that I noticed that when facing a tougher team may lead to disaster.

First thing, offense. Even though the ball movement was good, I saw a lot of standing around just waiting for the pass. I didn't see any weak side action or weak side movement, the only thing that freed up the man with the extra pass is when a dribble penetration happen. Maybe in the next coming games, we can see some weak side screens. Due to this waiting for the pass, the offense was stagnant a bit, and the opponent was able to close out even with the extra pass. I would also recommend for the team to use "Horns" in their sets to maximize the size of their centers. The team shot 42% in the field, which is somewhat acceptable but not great. LA and Marcus both committed 5 turnovers, so they need to take care of the ball especially LA.

Next,  defense. Smart Gilas was good in their defense putting KSA to 26% shooting from the field. You might be asking, 26% shooting from the field and good defense only? That's because Smart Gilas gave a total of 38 free throws to KSA, and 25 were converted. Thanks to some bonehead plays fouling the opponents at the back court when the team is in penalty. For me, a foul is not good defense.

I think this wraps it up, and I hope Coach Chot can address these issues when we face powerhouses like Iran and China.