Gilas Pilipinas has made it all the way to the final of the men’s basketball tournament of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, where they will face host country Thailand on Friday night, Dec. 19, with the gold medal on the line.

Despite a ragtag roster, the wards of head coach Norman Black have managed to run through the opposition. The Philippines undeniably has a roster full of talent, enough to give any team a run for its money. However, Black and company need to be ready for other things.

Before the 2025 SEA Games started, there were already numerous controversies. There was the banning of naturalized players and the questioning of player eligibility. John Paul “Poy” Erram, a locally bred Filipino, was initially disallowed to suit up for the national team. Thankfully, the screening committee allowed the PBA player to be included in the roster to replace an injured Allen Liwag.

Erram has played well since arriving at the last minute to beef up the Gilas Pilipinas roster. His presence has made a difference, blending in splendidly with other national team players such as Robert Bolick, Ray Parks, and Thirdy Ravena, among others.

But against the Thais, the Filipinos need to prepare mentally too. The host team is expected to pull out all the stops, meaning there are things that may be beyond the national team’s control.

Being the host team, it is only natural that Thailand will do whatever it takes to win the gold. Given that other sports have been marred by questionable officiating, such is expected when the Filipinos take the floor against the Thais on Friday night.

In a talk with former Thailand national coach Chris Daleo, he admitted that before he parted ways with the Thais, the plan was to win it all this year, when the games are hosted in Bangkok.

“I told people after the 2019 SEA Games, where Thailand won the silver in Manila, that the next time, when Thailand hosts, they believe in no blood, no play. I told everybody that they're gonna work the rules. The Basketball Sport Association of Thailand (BSAT), the governing body of Thailand, headed by Nipondh Chawalitmontien, this is his last year. So he's going to retire. He's going to want to win the gold, and so they're doing everything in their power to make sure that they have every advantage possible on their home floor, in their home country, to win that medal. They won the men’s 3x3 gold, and now they're shooting for the five-on-five,” detailed the veteran coach in an interview.

Daleo added that the ploy of Thailand was years in the making. He revealed how the Thais took a page out of the previous SEA Games hostings of Cambodia and Indonesia and how the country picked up from that.

“Thailand took a page from when Cambodia brought in all those players right at the last minute and they won silver. I know Thailand. I talked to my friends over there, and they took a lesson from that. So we can manipulate our rules so that they can benefit us. And remember the SEA Games prior to that, Indonesia won the gold? That's where they brought in the guy from the Bucks (Marques Bolden) to play. They naturalized him at the last minute," Daleo added.

Despite all the tactics being pulled by the Thais, Daleo feels that the Philippines will still be tough to beat even if the Filipinos have a smaller lineup. The reason for this is that the American coach feels Gilas has better guards than Thailand.

“My prediction, I think the Philippines. They just play harder, and I just think the guard play is quicker,” Daleo explained. “They're a smaller team. But the guards are just quicker and stronger and more competitive, I feel, than the Thailand guards. I just think the guard play overall and the depth of the guard play of the Philippines will carry them to the gold,” he ended.

Heading into the final game of the men’s basketball competition of the 33rd SEA Games, Gilas Pilipinas will have its work cut out for them.