Losses to Turkey and Poland in their earlier tuneup games are already a thing of the past as Gilas Pilipinas braces for action in Group A of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament set this week in Riga, Latvia.
With Brownlee slowly heating up and peaking at the right time after two competitive Gilas tuneup games, the Philippine team meets host Latvia on July 4, hoping to pull off a king-sized upset win against the world’s no. 6 team in the latest FIBA rankings.
Resident Ginebra import and naturalized player Brownlee shot 30 points when Gilas fell to world No. 15 Poland by just two points, 82-80, in their final friendly on Sunday morning (Manila time) at Arena Sosnowiec in Poland.
“The task ahead is not impossible. It’s hard, it’s tough, but it’s not impossible,” said Gilas coach Tim Cone after his team lost to Poland.
The Latvians still are a powerhouse team even without NBA star Kristaps Porzingis around.
Porzingis, one of the key players of newly crowned NBA champion Boston Celtics, will be resting this summer to recover after he underwent successful surgery to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon.
The 7’2” Porzingis went down with a combination of left ankle injuries, which he suffered during Game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 9.
The Latvians will field in two experienced guards Arturs Zagars and Rihards Lomazs, who are returning from injuries.
Gilas’ game with Latvia will be more challenging considering they are taking on the Latvians on their home soil. Latvia is also four steps away from reaching its first Olympics since 1936.
Before losing to Poland, Gilas defeated Asian club team Taiwan Mustangs, 74-64, but lost to Turkey, 84-73, in earlier friendlies.
Team Philippines is ranked 37th in the world, needing to secure just one win in Group A to secure a spot in the crossover semifinals.
Group B includes world No. 12 Brazil, No. 17 Montenegro, and No. 68 Cameroon.
The winners of the crossover semifinals will contest the lone ticket in Riga in the Paris Olympics.
