If the Philippines can’t get past China, they might find themselves in a similar quarterfinals situation against South Korea

Photo by Tristan Tamayo

The Philippines has faced the South Korean men’s basketball team numerous times. And Gilas Pilipinas is aware of how tough it’s going to be if they ever cross paths again in the quarterfinals of the 18^th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In the last two Asian Games, the South Koreans gave Gilas a hard time as they outlasted the Filipinos in the quarterfinals in Guangzhou and Incheon, and this year, Gilas could once again find themselves in another quarterfinal clash with the South Koreans.

With Gilas coming off an impressive Asiad opener, routing Kazakhstan, their huge hurdle now is China, which they will have to face on Tuesday with Jordan Clarkson finally making his debut.

Based on the tournament format, the runner-up in Group D—where Philippines is bracketed and is already one win away from securing a spot in the quarters—will face the top team in Group A where South Korea is playing and has already bagged a win against host country Indonesia in the opening day of the men’s basketball tournament.

If Gilas fails to squeak past China, who has two NBA players, chances are, the Philippines will end up facing a tough situation with the South Koreans in the quarterfinals, especially since they will most likely win its last bracket game against Indonesia on Monday.

But with the way the revamped Gilas played the Kazakhs yesterday, everyone is expecting them to put up a good fight against the Chinese basketball team led by Houston Rocket’s Zhou Qi and Dallas Mavericks’ Ding Yanyuhang. Moreover, Clarkson’s arrival will certainly give coach Yeng Guiao’s crew an added boost especially on the offensive end.

With a victory, the Philippines could dodge a bullet from facing South Korea—but one thing’s for sure, this new Gilas is surely not backing down to whoever’s in line to battle them.