Gilas Pilipinas Got the World's Attention After Fight in FIBA

Gilas Pilipinas marked a name and got the world's attention after it gave great game against Croatia, Argentina and Greece. Even though they've lost three consecutive games but still they were all praised by international teams including US.

The coach of Argentina's national basketball team praised Gilas Pilipinas after they pushed his players to the brink even as he admitted that the Filipinos' style of basketball is "very strange."

"Gilas plays a very strange style of basketball that we have never seen before," Argentina coach Julio Lamas said after Argentina escaped with an 85-81 win over the Philippines.

"But they play it at full potential, and I have much respect for them," he added.

Gilas shocked Argentina with a fast start to the first quarter, highlighted by Gabe Norwood's posterization of Luis Scola late in the frame.

"In the first quarter, they made us look like fools," admitted Lamas.

The veteran Argentinian squad got its bearings, however, and overcame a double-digit second quarter deficit by hitting its three-pointers.

They looked to be cruising to a comfortable victory after taking a 15-point lead in the third period, only to see the Filipinos roar back in the game thanks to a barrage of three-pointers from Jimmy Alapag.

In the end, however, the Argentines held on to win the game that was far too close for comfort for the third-ranked team in the world.

It was a game that Lamas and the Argentine team won't soon forget.

"This is the most uncomfortable game that I had to coach in my life," Lamas said.

source: abs-cbnnews

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