In a game that resembles the biblical showdown between David and Goliath, the Philippine men's basketball team and the entire hoops-crazy nation all pray for a miracle to happen against a very talented and experienced French men's basketball team spearheaded by NBA cagers Tony Parker and Boris Diaw.
What's at stake:
Philippines: In a three-team group stage format, a loss could be fatal to any team's chance of moving to the next round. For the Philippines to realize their decades long dream of returning to the Olympics, they need to come up with a perfect game plan on how to stop France gunners and come up with the lead at the final buzzer.
Without a doubt the heavy underdogs, the Philippines need at least a win to give themselves a shot at qualifying to the crossover semis. However, beating the French team in front of their home crowd would not only make the process a lot easier, it would also give them more reasons to believe that they can compete against the powerhouses of the basketball world.
France: French head coach Vincent Collet already advised the Philippine's newly-elected president Rodrigo Duterte not to watch the game, because he will just get disappointed by the result. Collet knows how superior his team over the Filipinos despite missing the service of Nicolas Batum, Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert and Ian Mahinmi.
However, he's also aware that complacency could also cost them the match. For a team tabbed as the favorite to clinch one of the last berths in Rio Olympics, France just needs to stick to their game plan by pounding the ball inside.
San Antonio Spurs' guard Tony Parker will likely assume the role as the ball facilitator in this match, but everybody knows that he can score at will when needed. For France, a victory over the Philippines will set them up for a much more important game against New Zealand, as they try to avoid an early collision course with Group A favorite Canada in the semis.
Broadcast Details:
Philippines vs. France will start at around 9:00 p.m (Phil time) / 9 a.m US EST right after the first game between Turkey and Canada. The game can be watched on TV5 and streamed online on Live Basketball, FIBA OQT Streaming and Sports Stream. Box scores, stats and updates are available on the official stats sheet - FIBA OQT Boxscores. Replay will be posted below once available.
Live Stream
FIBA OQT Live Stream & Replay: Philippines 'Gilas Pilipinas' vs. New Zealand - Start Time, Box Scores, Prediction
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