Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman commends his team for their performance against the NBA superstars
Before the Smart Gilas Pilipinas grasped the court to take on the NBA Stars on Sunday night, their coach Rajko Toroman had vowed that his team will not go down without a fight in the last game of Ultimate All-Star weekend. The Smart Gilas players responded to the coach’s call and showcased a tremendous fight back the fourth quarter to ruffle the star studded selection of NBA Stars.
The Smart Gilas encountered the All-Star team comprised of the best players in NBA which included Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, JaVale McGee, Chris Paul and Derek Fisher.
Trailing by 19 points going into the final quarter, the hosts triggered a ferocious comeback. However, they just fell short of pulling an incredible upset and lost the game 98-89. Rajko was very pleased with the performance of the team who played it tough, unlike the series opener in which the NBA stars gunned down the PBA selection with ease.
“Anybody saw today that the team has a good potential. This is the first time we played with these PBA players and you can see the potential of a complete team. We committed many turnovers at the start before we settled down. I think we played pretty well overall. We just need time and games together to be really competitive in Asia. “,” Toroman said.
The National team of Philippines is preparing for the big event FIBA Asia Championship that will be held in Wuhan, China in September. The champion of the tournament will qualify for the London Olympics 2012. Rajko stated that the Ultimate All-star Weekend was a big success for the team and it has helped the team to gauge its preparation for the upcoming FIBA Championship.
Toroman however disagreed with the idea that the NBA players did not take the game seriously and tried to give the fans a show. The impressive performances that were displayed by the Smart Gilas on Sunday also drew praises from the NBA superstars who were put to test after halftime in the second game of the series.
New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul was impressed with the guards of the Philippines team and said, “The guards in the Philippines are really good, they play defence, pressures a lot that you’ll always like to see in a team. They’re just like international players, everybody can shoot the ball”.
With the SEABA Championship already in the bag, the Philippines team look set to make a mark in the FIBA Asia Championship.
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