Nope, the basketball gods did not smile on us and the Olympic dream of Pinoy basketball still remains elusive. SMC-Team Pilipinas bowed out of contention for a basketball slot in the 2008 Beijing Olympics whent they lost to Jordan yesterday in the Fiba Asia Men’s Championship in Tokushima, Japan.
I guess the team’s downfall is caused by a lot of things bad–bad luck, bad breaks, bad decisions and bad performances. Bad luck because we drew the Group of Death bracket. In the company of top-seeded China, Iran and Jordan, surviving the first round is akin to crossing a bridge of straw. Sadly, the bridge did broke before our team was able to pass through. Bad breaks because of the injuries of Danny Siegle and James Yap during the team’s preparations and because of that goddamn technical foul slapped on the bench during the game against Iran. The dubious call robbed us a game we could have won. Bad decisions because of: a) the inclusion of Erik Menk and Renren Ritualo who contributed practically nothing in the team’s cause during the first round games. James Yap and Raniedel De Ocampo, being taller and more versatile, could have done better; b) Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand were given too much playing time despite playing poorly. The Ginebra duo, obviously still in love with the one-on-one style of play, dribbled too much thus committing costly turnovers. Bad performances–aside from Caguioa and Helterbrand playing below of what was expected from them, Danny Siegle, the supposed-to-be chief gunner of the team, suffered another injury and was a big disappointment.
I admire Asi Taulava, Kerby Raymundo, Kelly Williams and of course, Jimmy Alapag for playing bigger than their size and taller than their height, They really showed us what playing with heart is all about.
Despite the debacle, I guess all the players did their best. They just fell short though and maybe we, basketball fans, just expected too much from them. Through all the blaming and finger-pointing, the SMC-Team Pilipinas players and coaches, the BAP-SBP, the PBA and the corporate backers (SMC, SMART, MVP, etc.) should be commended for their hardwork and sacrifice and for bringing the Philippines back to the international basketball scene. In the end there are no mistakes, only lessons learned. And as long as we continue chasing that dream, there will always be a next time….
