The Philippines vs Croatia game opened up the Group B play for the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Although the Philippine team, tagged as Gilas Pilipinas, put up such an amazing fight, Croatia emerged victorious in the end at a score of 81-78 after going through an over-time period. Despite the loss, the Philippine team proved to be much of a bigger challenge than expected.
This year's FIBA tournament actually marks the first time that the Philippine team was able to take part in such a high profile international showcase. The last time that they were able to join was back in 1978. The Philippines hosted the event, but the team lost all of its eight games. The best result that the team has ever received was a bronze medal back in 1954.
Still, despite the long absence from the tournament, the Philippine team put together a very strong performance and proved to be a challenge against a solid Croatian team.
As the game started, it initially looked like the game was not going to be a challenging one, with Croatia leading the game at 23-9 during the first quarter. The Croatian offense, led by Bojan Bogdanovic, was far too strong and was unrivalled by the struggles of the Philippine team at the outset. However, Gilas Pilipinas players had their hearts on the game and were not going down without a fight. By the second quarter, they were able to find a rhythm on the offense and started to chip in the Croatian lead.
By halftime, the lead of Croatia was amazingly brought down to 37-31, with Philippines' Jeff Chan sending the match's underdog into the lockers with higher spirits.
According to basketball analysts, the Philippine team was smart to make use of small-ball tactics, given that their Croatian rivals were much taller than they were. However, despite the Croatian players towering over them, they did not seem perturbed at all. Gilas used Andray Blatche as the rock right in the middle and then they all spread around him. The shots for the Philippines started to come one after another after the relatively sluggish start. In no time at all, Gilas Pilipinas was able to turn the game around.
This game against the small yet highly skilled team from the Philippines served as a wake-up call for Croatia. The Philippine team has, indeed, proven themselves worthy of being part of this tournament and that they must not be underestimated.
