ALLAN THE MAN

The odds simply were too much to overcome. Amid the roar of a crowd hell bent on seeing them lose, Gilas Pilipinas fell versus the giant China, 78-67, to settle for silver in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship on Saturday, October 3 in Changsha, Hunan, China.

The 2015 FIBA Asia Championship (September 23 - October 3 at Changsha, Hunan, China) is a qualifier for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Winner qualifies automatically for 2016 Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament. 2nd, 3rd and 4th place teams earn spots for 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT).

Competing Teams: China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar & Singapore.

The Philippine national men’s basketball team finally solved the puzzle of Iran as Gilas Pilipinas toppled its long-time tormentor and defending champion, 87-73, in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship on Monday at CSWC Dayun in Changsha, China.
Jayson Castro exploded for 26 points to go along with three assists and three steals to pace Gilas Pilipinas. Andray Blatche, who suffered an ankle injury last game, added 18 points and seven boards.

On to the second round. Gilas Pilipinas continued its rampage after its 51-point drubbing of Hong Kong as they bulldozed past Kuwait, 110-64, in Group B on Friday, September 25 at the Changsha Social Work College Gymnasium in Changsha, Hunan, China.

The Philippine national men's basketball team finished the first round with a 2-1 record and is safely through to the second group phase of the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship.

The Philippine national men’s basketball team cruised past Kuwait, 110-64, to have a strong finish to its group stage campaign in the in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship Friday at CSWC Dayun in Changsha, China.

Terrence Romeo had his best game of the tournament so far, scoring 19 points. Jayson Castro also continued his fine showing for Gilas Pilipinas with 16 points.

Following an embarassing loss, the Philippine national men’s basketball team vented its ire on Hong Kong, 101-50, to bounce back in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship on Thursday at CSWC Dayun in Changsha, China.

Jayson Castro led Gilas Pilipinas with 21 points and also fired five triples in the game to go along with his five boards and two assists.

After a shock upset loss to FIBA Asia first-timers Palestine in their opening game of the 2015 edition of the tournament, Philippine national men’s basketball coach Tab Baldwin said that their performance should not be seen as an indicator of the capabilities of the Gilas Pilipinas national team but simply a misstep that must be corrected.

“This tournament is far from over. This is not a statement game of who Gilas Pilipinas is. This is a big mistake by our team, by our coaching staff, all of us,” Baldwin told reporters at the postgame press conference following his team’s 75-73 defeat at the CSWC Dayun on Wednesday.

The Gilas Pilipinas got off to a terrible start in their quest for an Olympics ticket as Gilas Pilipinas was upset by the debuting Palestine, 75-73, in Group B action of the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship on Wednesday, September 23 at the Changsha Social Work College Gymnasium in Changsha, China.

The Philippine national men’s basketball team failed to have a good start to its campaign, suffering a huge upset against Palestine, 75-73, in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in CSWDC Dayun in Changsha, China.

2015 FIBA Asia Championship: National coach Tab Baldwin considers Gilas Pilipinas' campaign in the preliminaries of the Fiba Asia Men's Championship as 'window games' that should prepare the team for the tougher grind ahead.

But that doesn't mean he's taking any of the three preliminary matches lightly. So when the national team begins its campaign on Wednesday against Fiba Asia first-timer Palestine, Baldwin doesn't foresee much problems but at the same time expects his players to come out fighting from the get-go.

WATCH GILAS PHILIPPINES vs PALESTINE FREE LIVE STREAM BELOW:

Marc Pingris’ agent, Ed Ponceja explained why Pingris decided to skip participating in the Gilas program, (READ: Marc Pingris unavailable for Gilas Pilipinas) which is gearing up for the FIBA Asia, an Olympic qualifying tournament, to be held in China from September 23 to October 3.

“Bago pa lang kasi yung coach ng Star medyo naghahabol pa sila sa gagawin. Baka nga mag twice-a-day practice pa sila so hindi na kakayanin ni Ping yung oras,” Ponceja said.