ALLAN THE MAN

Gilas Pilipinas will take on world number five Greece on Monday 2AM, Manila time, in the resumption of the international basketball meet. The PH squad, who although dropped its first contest, proved to the world that it is capable of competing in the highest hoops level as it stood toe-to-toe with one of Europe's finest teams.

PHILIPPINES VS CROATIA.

Croatia had to survive a gritty Philippine squad in overtime to register its first victory in the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

Croatia def. Philippines, 81-78 in OT. | Technical Foul On Jayson Castro For "Flopping"? (VIDEO) Gilas Pilipinas vs. Croatia.

The Philippine national men’s basketball team came close to a shocking introduction to world stage after giving Group B favorite Croatia all it could handle in an 81-78 overtime loss in the opening contest of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Seville, Spain.

WATCH Gilas Pilipinas vs Croatia FULL GAME REPLAY VIDEO BELOW:

Gilas-Pilipinas dropped its first game in the FIBA World Cup after suffering an 81-78 overtime loss to Croatia on Saturday evening in Seville, Spain.



Bojan Bogdanovic scored a team-high 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field to lead the Croatian national team. Andray Blatche had a game-high 28, while Jeff Chan scored 17 markers to spearhead the Philippines' attack.

The Gilas Pilipinas (Philippines) will kick off its World Cup of Basketball campaign vs Croatia at the Palacio Municipal de Deportes San Pablo. The game will mark the country's return to the world championships, 36 years after it last competed in the 1978 FIBA Worlds.

The music video for 'Sube la Copa', the official song of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, was released on Thursday. The video features some of the biggest stars in international basketball as they join the singer - as well as fans of their countries - in singing, playing and dancing the song in a party of rhythms, roots and colours, with some of the best moments and highlights from past editions of FIBA's flagship event mixed in. 

WATCH Official Music Video of 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup BELOW:

Filipino basketball fans already know that the national team would be an underdog when it plunges into action in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup on Saturday. 

Just how much the odds are stacked against Gilas Pilipinas became apparent this week after ESPN rated the team one of the worst heading into the competition.

The Philippine national men’s basketball team gave Dominican Republic a tough battle, 86-79, on Monday in its final tune-up game before the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

Gilas Pilipinas competed with the 26th ranked Dominican Republic despite playing without star guard Jayson Castro, who continues to nurse an injury with under the a week remaining until the tournament.

WATCH GILAS PILIPINAS vs DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FULL GAME REPLAY VIDEO BELOW:

The Philippine national basketball team ended a streak of five consecutive losses with a confidence-boosting 74-65 victory over Egypt on Sunday in a tune-up game in Guadalajara, Spain.

With five days to go before the 2014 FIBA World Cup, Gilas Pilipinas snapped a losing skid with a great effort against Egypt, the silver medalist in FIBA Africa, behind a 20-point performance from sniper Jeff Chan.

WATCH GILAS PILIPINAS vs EGYPT VIDEO BELOW:

Gilas Pilipinas members were featured in a teaser video of the 2014 FIBA World Cup showing basketball moves of teams who qualified for the prestigious basketball tournament.

Larry Fonacier and Jimmy Alapag appear in the second installment of the "10 Seconds of Basketball" series of videos released ahead of the tournament's tipoff on August 30.

The Philippine national men's basketball team ended its mini-tournament in Antibes, France on a sour note after suffering a 114-64 beatdown at the hands of Ukraine on Sunday (Monday morning PHL time).

Gilas Pilipinas was playing without naturalized center Andray Blatche, who was resting a minor injury suffered against France on Friday.

For the Philippine national basketball team (Gilas Pilipinas),  it’s home away from home in Spain where Gilas will play at the FIBA World Cup starting Aug. 30 after a 36-year absence from the global stage. The estimate is about 5,000 Filipinos will storm the stands at the 7,000-seat Palacio Municipal de Deportes San Pablo in Seville for the Group B round-robin competition involving Croatia, Greece, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Senegal and the Philippines.

Philippine Ambassador to Spain Carlos Salinas said some 40,000 to 50,000 Filipinos live in Spain and he plans to mobilize the residents to cheer for Gilas in Seville. If the Philippines finishes in the top four of Group B, Gilas will advance to the next round in Madrid.

Philippines Men's National Basketball Team - GILAS PILIPINAS! Go Gilas! PUSO! PUSO! #PusoToTheMax #LabanPilipinas #GilasPilipinas

Kevin Durant will not play for the U.S. team defending their title at this month's FIBA Basketball World Cup due to mental and physical exhaustion, the NBA most valuable player said on Thursday.

The high-scoring Oklahoma City Thunder forward's withdrawal follows the loss of the Indiana Pacers' Paul George, who last week suffered a compound fracture of his right leg when he landed badly during a team scrimmage.

Philippines Men's National Basketball Team, GILAS PILIPINAS - Miami Training Camp - Top 10 Plays (VIDEO)

Philippines Men's National Basketball Team, GILAS PILIPINAS, Miami, Florida, USA - Training Camp - Day 8 (VIDEO). Gilas Pilipinas defeated Miami Pro-Am team 95-74. 

WATCH GAME HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO BELOW:

Philippines Men's National Basketball Team, GILAS PILIPINAS, Miami, Florida, USA - Training Camp - Day 7 (VIDEO) .

WATCH Gilas Pilipinas Miami Training Camp HERE