It’s no secret that there’s a disparity in size and talent between Gilas Pilipinas and its opponents in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament and having a solid, near-perfect defense is the only way for the national team to get a chance in pulling off upsets.

That has been the emphasis for the Filipinos as they wrap up their buildup for the back-to-back games against Latvia and Georgia on July 4. 

Although Gilas lost all of its European friendlies against Turkey and Poland, the Nationals were competitive and got an idea of what it would take to win against the higher-ranked teams.

“We were good against Turkey, we were better against Poland, but we have to be at our best from here on out. We need to limit our turnovers and get locked in defensively. It’s not just about competing, it’s all about winning,” said Gilas assistant coach Richard Del Rosario.

Gilas head coach Tim Cone has also been pressing his wards to fully commit on the defensive end especially facing up against taller but quicker and good shooting teams against the world No. 6 Latvia and No. 23 Georgia.

In one instance during the tuneup games against Poland, Cone was even caught in the broadcast fuming about Gilas defense – or the lack thereof – during the fourth quarter when the host team suddenly erected a double-digit advantage.

“If we play like this we’re not playing through it to win. We’re not even trying anymore. Not even f****** hurts to get back you didn’t even come to help on that pass. Nothing. It’s not even about ‘hey lets lets do it’, that’s b*******, it’s about doing your jobs fellas,” said Cone.

“We look like an Asian team right now. We look more like a team to play in Asia than European right now. We haven’t looked like one all day, now that’s what we look like. That’s the way they expected us to play,” said Cone whose video of that timeout pep talk immediately made rounds on social media. 

Cone stressed it’s all about Gilas making an extra effort on every defensive possession and that’s the only way they could limit teams as talented as the European powerhouses.

“You got to play at this level fellas and that means get down on guys and take the extra effort. We’re not gonna make the extra effort we’re not stopping these guys. That’s what I’m talking about in terms of our,” he added.

It did wonders though as Gilas managed to almost get back into the game and erase a 14-point deficit behind Dwight Ramos, June Mar Fajardo and Justin Brownlee.

Gilas now turns its focus on replicating that and doing it on a consistent basis in the OQT.

“All our focus will be on Latvia and Georgia. We will put them under the microscope and look for ways to win,” said Del Rosario.