The Philippine national men’s basketball team justified its 107-point destruction of hapless Myanmar in the 2017 SEABA Championship, saying that playing at its best despite the superior advantage was a way to show respect to the opponent and the game.
“Alam mo nang kayang-kaya bakit mo pa pagbibigyan yung kalaban?” said Gilas Pilipinas first-timer Allein Maliksi.
“Respect yun sa game tsaka sa kanila para alam rin nila kung anong klaseng team yung Gilas.”
Maliksi scored 20 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks as he pounced on the matador defense of the lowly Burmese who were largely outclassed by the Filipinos.
“Ang mindset is, if you smell blood you go for the kill. Mahina na nga eh, lalaruin mo pa. Hindi naman sa ina-underestimate natin,” Maliksi continued.
Maliksi’s mentality was in line with Gilas Pilipinas’ coach Chot Reyes’ marching orders to his players against their shorter and inferior rivals.
“God knows we’ve been at the opposite end of these games. We’ve been in a lot of tuneup games. We’ve been at the opposite end that when you lined up for jumpball, you’re shorter at every position. We’ve been in that position so many times in the past,” Reyes said during the post-game interview.
“For this game, bumaligtad. So I told the players we shouldn’t do any different. If you are bigger, taller than the other team, you shouldn’t work any less and that’s our focus in this ballgame. Kung magbaboy naman kami and we don’t defend them, let them shoot lay up or take shots, make haphazard shots, haphazard plays, that’s a bigger sign of disrespect, not only for the opponent, but the team.
“So we talked about winning the right way, playing the right way. I’m sure for Myanmar, they would want it this way.”
