What's at stake when Gilas Pilipinas and Jordan battle for the Asian Games gold
Against all odds, Philippines and Jordan will be playing for the men's 5x5 basketball gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on Friday night.
Both teams met in the group stage, with Jordan essaying a one-sided 87-62 win that put them on an easier path to the gold medal match. Jordan has posted an average winning margin of 24.2 points in wins over Thailand, Bahrain, and Philippines in the group stage, Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals, and Chinese Taipei in the semifinals.
The loss to Jordan sent Gilas on a more difficult route to the final.
They had to play a qualification for the quarterfinals game, where they handled Qatar with ease. The very next day they faced longtime Asian powerhouse Iran in the quarterfinals.
Unlike Jordan, Gilas had to pull off tight wins in the knockout stages. They squandered a 21-point lead against Iran but regrouped in time for an 84-83 quarterfinal victory. The Philippines flipped the script against hosts China in the semifinals, erasing a 20-point deficit and snatching a pulsating 77-76 win to advance to the gold medal game.
No one would have bet on a Philippines-Jordan gold-medal match pairing.
But now that it's happened, Jordan would have to be considered the favorites based on their form for the past nine days.
Despite a disappointing FIBA World Cup where they finished last in the 32-team field, Al Nashama have also had Gilas' number this year. Prior to the group stage win last weekend, Jordan beat the Philippines, 91-90, in February at the Philippine Arena in the final window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Gilas will surely have these games in mind Friday night and will be eager to prove that the 25-point loss in the group stage was a fluke. But regardless who wins the gold, history awaits on both sides.
What's at stake for Jordan
A lot will be riding on Jordan when they enter the gold medal game.
At the time of writing, the country's delegation in Hangzhou has yet to win a gold medal and is in 28th place in the medal standings with a single silver and two bronze medals. A win on Friday would be a big boost and catapult them up the medal standings.
Since they started participating at the 1986 Seoul Games, the country has won just five gold medals in total. They won two in Jakarta in 2018, but prior to that only three gold medals had been won by Jordanian athletes since 1986. A sixth gold medal would certainly be a major achievement.
In basketball, Jordan has never medaled and has finished in the top four just once. That came in 1986 when they lost the de facto bronze medal game by two points to, ironically, the Philippines. This is the furthest any Jordanian basketball team has reached at the Asian Games and, whatever happens, the country is assured of its first-ever medal.
On a personal level, Jordan's naturalized player Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was once under consideration to join Gilas. He has one over Justin Brownlee after leading the TNT Tropang Giga to the recent PBA Governors' Cup title over Brownlee's favored Barangay Ginebra.
Although both players have publicly shown nothing but respect for each other, it wouldn't be farfetched to think that 'RHJ' would like a second big win over his rival.
What's at stake for Gilas Pilipinas
Considering the turmoil and confusion that surrounded this team prior to the Asian Games, it's a minor miracle that they've made it this far. The 12 players in Hangzhou were only able to practice for a few days together in Manila, and there was a moment when team officials held their breath while waiting for the green light on the five replacement players.
They looked shaky at times in the group stage, averted a total meltdown against Iran, and looked dead in the water at halftime against China. Yet they're here in the final with a seemingly improbable gold medal within reach.
This is the first final for a Philippine basketball team since 1990. Interestingly enough, the last team to reach this far was also coached by the incumbent Ginebra head coach -- Robert Jaworski, who piloted the first all-PBA national team to a silver medal in Beijing.
A gold medal would be the first for the country since 1962, when Caloy Loyzaga led Philippines to the last of what were four straight Asian Games basketball golds. Considering Filipinos' passion for the sport, it's almost inconceivable that it's been 61 years since the country won a gold medal and 33 since it won a silver.
Bigger picture, a gold would also be a big boost for the Philippine delegation's floundering campaign. So far, only EJ Obiena and Meggie Ochoa have won a gold medal for the country in Hangzhou following medal-less results from 2018 gold medalists Hidilyn Diaz and Margielyn Didal.
Individually, there are a few redemption arcs at play here.
Gilas assistant Jong Uichico was head coach when the Philippines famously lost at the buzzer in the semifinal in Busan in 2002.
Tim Cone has already exacted some measure of revenge on China, which ousted the highly touted Centennial Team in the semifinals in Bangkok 25 years ago. But he has repeatedly said that not winning the gold in 1998 remains one of the most crushing defeats in his storied coaching career. Finally winning it all here would complete his redemption story.
It would also make a solid argument for him as the greatest coach in Philippine basketball history. A gold medal would make him the only coach to win titles in both the PBA and the Asian Games. Not even Baby Dalupan accomplished that.
For Brownlee, what better way for him to solidify his reputation as one of the most beloved and greatest foreign players of all time than by leading Gilas to a gold? He has already added to his legend thanks to his game-winning baskets against Iran and China, but bringing home the gold would elevate him to the top of the pantheon.
