FIBA Asia 2015 (Photo : iRockMedia / Gilas Army)
No pain, no gain. That was the fighting cry exhibited by naturalized Filipino center Andray Blatche when he played down the stretch despite nursing an ankle injury in Sunday's gutsy 73-66 win over Japan. The close win indeed boosted the morale of the Philippine men's basketball team in the second round and into epic clash with rival Iran at 11:45 p.m.
Blatche demonstrated what is PUSO all about, racking up 18 points and 10 rebounds and scoring the key tip-in that sealed the win for the Philippines against Japan.
"Yeah, [I] definitely played through pain," the former Brooklyn Net in the NBA told the Inquirer. "I have to help them (my teammates) fight and get this win. We're in the second round and every game counts for us."
Unfortunately for the Filipinos, they are in for the toughest 24 hour stretch of their campaign so far as they are scheduled to lock horns with the defending FIBA Asia and regional powerhouse Iran.
No longer dependent on the towering presence of Hamed Haddadi, Iran will boast a balanced attack of experience and youth.
The Filipinos, on the other hand, will continue to lean on a limping Blatche and their deep backcourt rotation led by Jason Williams and Terrence Romeo. However, there's no doubt that their frontcourt brigade has to step up if they want to make the match competitive.
Tip-off starts at 11:45 p.m for the Philippine-Iran showdown. This match will be followed by an intriguing matchup between Palestine and Japan, while Group F second round matches (South Korea vs. Qatar, China vs. Lebanon, Jordan vs. Kazakhstan) are all scheduled in the evening.
Live stream is available on Sports5.ph, Live Basketball TV and Sports Stream. Updates, box score stats and play-by-play commentaries are posted on FIBA Asia 2015 Live Score. For Twitter update, go to Gilas Army@Twitter
FIBA Asia 2015 Live Stream & Box Score: Philippines vs. India, Lebanon vs. Jordan, China vs. Qatar - Click Here
