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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Gilas eyes surprise act vs Tall Blacks on the road

Gilas eyes surprise act vs Tall Blacks on the road

Published Jul 2, 2026 12:28 pm  |  Updated Jul 2, 2026 04:30 pm

At A Glance

  • Gilas Pilipinas formally begins its quest Down Under when it takes on New Zealand for its opening game in the crucial third window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers at the Spark Arena in Auckland on Friday, July 3.

Gilas Pilipinas formally begins its quest Down Under when it takes on New Zealand for its opening game in the crucial third window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers at the Spark Arena in Auckland on Friday, July 3.

Tip-off of the clash is at 3 p.m. (Manila time) with the Nationals looking to avenge their close 69-66 loss at the Mall of Asia Arena during the first window in February.

Of course, it is the Tall Blacks who now have the homecourt advantage, putting Gilas in immense pressure especially that it needs at least one game to win in this window to get themselves in a more favorable position in the second round of the qualifiers especially since the record will be carried over.

As it stands, the Nationals are already through to the second round with their 2-2 record and they could face Middle East powerhouse Iran and Jordan and one between Syria or Iraq.

The top 4 teams from each of the two groups in the second round will book the World Cup spot with Qatar already qualified as the hosts.

READ MORE: Tim Cone on Gilas' mission Down Under: Steal one game on the road

Despite the odds in front of them, Gilas head coach Tim Cone remained confident that the Nationals can pull off surprises in this window to boost their chances of reaching the global showpiece.

“We’ve been a team that pulled surprises before and I’m not going to be surprised if we pulled it off,” Cone said of the crucial games against New Zealand and Australia.

And the veteran mentor might have a case for his team especially judging with its two tuneup games against professional NBL-New Zealand ball clubs.

Gilas defeated Manawatu Jets in a dominant fashion, 92-61,before putting up a similar masterful showing in the second game against Franklin Bulls, 94-66. The Nationals did that with Justin Brownlee sitting out both games and guys like Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao and Dwight Ramos mostly leading the charge.

READ MORE: Tim Cone excited to have Phillips, Rosario, Baltazar

“I think that’s a really good preparation for us,” said Cone.

“I’ve always said a prepared team is a confident team. If we feel like we’re prepared and ready to go, then we’re going to be confident, and that will show in our game,” he added.

“I think this is really one of our best chances to do that with the preparation that we have and the preparation behind us.”

Related Tags

Gilas Pilipinas Tim Cone Justin Brownlee 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers New Zealand Australia
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