JAKARTA — Walang ibang hinangad si national basketball coach Yeng Guiao kundi ang magkaroon ng tsansa laban sa powerhouse China, kahit gaano pa ito kaliit.
“Kung dati, we are a 100 to 1 underdog against China, ngayon we are just 100 to 20, nadagdagan na ang odds natin,” pahayag ni Guiao, na ang tropa ay sasagupa sa 2018 Asian Games favorites sa Martes, alas-4 ng hapon (alas-5 ng hapon sa Manila).
“We admit talaga namang favorite sila, but I feel the more important thing is now, we feel that we have more of a chance to win. Dati para talagang wala kang chance na manalo sa kanila,” ani Guiao.
Ang paglaki ng tsansa ng Pinas na manalo ay dahil kay NBA star Jordan Clarkson.
“What’s good for us is he can draw the defense and free up our shooters. His skills are very good, all of these combined translates to a quicker transition for him to make adjustments. So it’s going to be two against one, Clarkson vs the two NBA Chinese players,” dagdag pa ni Guiao, patungkol kina players Zhou Qi at Ding Yanyuang.
Si Qi ay isang 7’1 backup slotman ng Houston Rockets, habang si Ding ay isang 6’7 forward ng Dallas Mavericks.
“China is bringing their best team in the Asian Games. They are solid on all fronts specially their frontline,” pahayag ni Philippine Team’s chief scout Ryan Gregorio, na isang three-time PBA champion coach.
“Zhou Qi is tall and quick. He has a range that can extend to the 3-point range. He has great anticipation skills on defense. Ding is quick and strong, and has long range,” sabi pa ni Gregorio.
Isa sa mga plano, ayon kay Guiao, ay ang sikaping mapanatiling dikit ang laban, maging agresibo sa buong 40 minuto at maunahan ang kalaban.
“We will try to duplicate the defense that we did against Kazakhstan,” ani Guiao, patungkol sa 96-59 paglampaso sa Kazakhs noong nakaraang Miyerkoles.
“We will be banking on our quickness. We lack the height and length, but we can compensate with our quickness and intelligence,” pagsusog ni Gregorio.
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