2026 ASIAN GAMES | THE AFTERMATH

Being an opinion-based blog makes me privy to a lot of things. For instance, I don’t need to break a story just for the sake of being first. I can also write whatever I want.

But it also helps to be positive. It’s not like I’m afraid to be fearless; I just want to be as level-headed as possible.

I always saw the Asian Games squad as a mere obligation to field while the main team prepares for the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. Yes, I want Gilas to win the gold medal, but I’m indifferent to the idea that we really need this for the greater good of the mission.

And yes, this might sound bad, but over the years, we have seen our Philippine teams struggle against our Asian counterparts. Our luck only started to change when the country began using naturalized players.

But competing in Nagoya without a Justin Brownlee or a Bennie Boatwright, while the other teams have two or more, and with the core of the squad virtually made up of international rookies, made our Asian Games quest to defend the title almost unattainable.

However, I have to admit, I stopped watching the Gilas Pilipinas versus China game after the first half. I still listened to the broadcast, with Jett Sulit and Quinito Henson trying their best to be optimistic in their casting, but it felt so wrong.

In some ways, I agree with what Noli Eala said in his X post.

It was embarrassing.

Because here’s the thing: not only did China prepare for us, but they went out there to embarrass us. And I don’t even think this roster was assembled primarily to win the gold medal.

It was like a mafia hit.

Not only did we lose to China in a bloodbath, but they also shut the door on our quarterfinal chances. Just three years after winning the gold medal in 2023, we’ve now set a record for getting the boot after the group stages.

And if you think about it, this rivalry isn’t just about basketball. I bet the Chinese government would give these players extra whatevers, especially after the incident Gibo Teodoro had with them a couple of days ago.

Every time we scored a layup or a triple, they answered with a rebound and putback, a triple, another rebound and putback, and yet another triple.

We didn’t prepare for the Asian Games seriously, and now I bet the PBA will bear the blame afterward.

But then, a day removed from the game, I started to think that while people are royally pissed, this delegation will return to the country with more than we might realize. They were the ones on the front line, and I bet no one wanted to lose by 44 points to China.

When they joined the Gilas pool, they were looking for at least a podium finish. They wanted to return to their respective teams with the belief that they could be as good as the international players.

I think my wake-up call to tone down the hate was Richard Del Rosario’s answer to Noli Eala on X. While you can say the preparations left much to be desired, the people sitting on the bench—from the players and coaching staff to the ball boys—worked their asses off for a dream.

It’s just a shame that China went there wanting it more—and wanting to embarrass us.

China was all business from the second they stepped onto the court. They looked at us with disdain after the territorial disputes, and their successive defeats in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and the 2022 Asian Games on their soil only added fuel to the fire.

China went to the Asian Games to exact revenge.

They waited three years for this, and I bet it’ll be the same in every sport we play at the Asiad. Because while sporting events are usually held to promote brotherhood among countries, they can also serve as a more diplomatic arena for seeking vengeance. We usually see this happen in South American football. We see it among European countries as well. When we talk about the USA versus Canada, ice hockey is usually the battlefield.

And in Asia, there is a reason why Israel doesn’t compete in the Asian Games.

The ire of the fans may have been directed solely at the basketball side of things, but as much as I feel for Richard Del Rosario stepping up to the challenge, this was the other team just straight-up embarrassing us. They played with a lot of vengeance and zero remorse.

If we can’t have the international players, then we need to strengthen the PBA. Our players know how to score; now, they need to learn how to shoot. Our organization knows what we need to do to win; now, we need to do a better job preparing for it.

THE GILAS BOXSCORES

CHINA ELIMINATES GILAS PILIPINAS | 105 - 61

PLAYER	MP	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FGM	FGA	3PM
OFTANA	30	13	0	1	1	0	5	16	2
BAREFIELD	13	9	1	4	1	0	3	8	1
TROLLANO	10	7	0	1	1	0	3	6	1
LUCERO	28	5	6	0	0	0	2	10	0
BOLICK	22	5	4	4	0	0	2	7	1
GANUELAS-ROSSER	14	5	4	1	0	0	1	1	1
AHANMISI	21	5	2	2	0	0	2	7	1
NOCUM	14	4	4	0	0	0	2	6	0
ABARRIENTOS	5	4	1	0	0	0	2	4	0
BATES	21	2	4	2	2	0	0	0	0
ARANA	7	2	4	0	1	0	1	2	0
BALTAZAR	14	0	0	3	2	0	0	4	0