Here’s What Gilas Got Right Against New Zealand

Photo source: FIBA

Bilog talaga ang bola.

Gilas Pilipinas got off to a rousing start in Window 2 of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers by defeating the New Zealand Tall Blacks 93-89.

How did this happen? Gilas did many, many things right. Some of them were tactical beauties—the kind of fine detail that eagle-eyed hoop junkies will appreciate. And then, there are the haymakers. Seriously, did you see that Chris Newsome triple off that timeout late in the fourth?

Of course, our Pinoy cagers messed up in a department or two. That’s to be expected, as there’s no such thing as a perfect team. The thing is, New Zealand just happened to be the more flawed squad on this evening. Four points short, to be precise.

So, how did we pull off this impressive win over a national team that’s walloped us four times in a row? Let’s take a look.

Dominate the Paint

If you had told Pinoy hoops fans a decade ago that we’d someday overwhelm an Oceania powerhouse in the shaded lane, you might have been mocked and ridiculed to no end.

And yet, here we are—an impressive victory over the Tall Blacks thanks to an impeccable showing within the immediate vicinity of the hoop. Case in point: Gilas had an emphatic 48-16 edge in terms of points in the paint. This was largely because, all night long, Justin Brownlee (26 points on 8-for-13 shooting) and Kai Sotto (19 points, 57.1% from the field) gave the New Zealand bigs a dose of migraine.

What’s more, Gilas outrebounded New Zealand 44-31. Our boys doubled up NZ’s production on the offensive glass to the tune of 16-8, which led to 17 second-chance points. For a country that’s long suffered from height disadvantages at the international level, this is an impressive feat indeed.

Win the Contest of Pace

Here’s something that both New Zealand and Australia typically execute to perfection: the fastbreak attack. The Tall Blacks, in particular, are pretty capable of scoring consistently when they get out on the break.

At certain stretches in tonight’s game, New Zealand was too fast for Gilas to stop. Early in their shot clock, prolific scorers like veteran Corey Webster (25 points) and youngster Sam Waardenburg (19 points) would put the ball through the hoop before the Filipino defenders could get their bearings.

Credit new head coach Judd Flavell for getting these NZ warriors ready for a fast-paced game. By the same token, credit the venerable Tim Cone and his superbly chosen core of big, athletic players for eventually outperforming the Tall Blacks in the speed department. As far as actual fastbreak points are concerned, Gilas outdid New Zealand 13-3. The Pinoy 12 also scored more points off turnovers than their Kiwi adversaries.

Lesson learned: The Scottie Thompson-Chris Newsome tandem is a limitless vat of defensive energy that’s just fun to watch. These PBA champions have a lot to do with Gilas’ great performance in terms of pace.

Make Adjustments Like There’s No Tomorrow

At this point, you can go up and down the stat sheet and celebrate the contributions of other Gilas players. Dwight Ramos got himself in double digits, June Mar Fajardo shot efficiently, and the rest of the players fielded generally put together high-quality possessions. (Eight turnovers are nothing to sneeze at, after all.)

You can, however, put everything into perspective by bearing one factor in mind: the coaching aspect. All those players made valuable contributions because they entered the game and carried out marching orders at the best possible time. That doesn’t happen by accident—it’s because their coach was pretty good at putting them in a position to succeed.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: If anyone is in doubt that Tim Cone is the greatest basketball coach that the Philippines has ever had, this hotly contested international game should be the closing argument to that futile debate. On more than one occasion, Cone called a timeout to curb New Zealand’s momentum, called for adjustments on both ends of the floor, and invariably got the Philippines back in the game.

This happened in the opening ten minutes and the fourth quarter when Gilas was able to build a double-digit cushion that allowed them to stay in the driver’s seat till the buzzer sounded. The timing of Cone’s ceasefires, rotations, and adjusted offensive sets was a crucial factor in this victory over New Zealand. With all due respect to Flavell, Cone won the tactical battle in a resounding fashion.

Did we mention that Tim Cone and his core 12 haven’t even spent a full year in the Gilas program? If this scintillating win in the Mall of Asia Arena means anything, it’s this: Our national team has a bright future ahead in FIBA competition. 

A spot in the Olympics isn’t a pipe dream—it’s a goal that’s within reach, no matter the heritage or trophy case of the opponents in front of us. Sa bandang huli, bilog pa rin talaga ang bola.