BULACAN – National team coach Chot Reyes admitted that losing Jordan Clarkson in the final minutes of the game caused the Gilas Pilipinas to nose dive against the Dominican Republic.
But Reyes said he could not do anything when the referees whistled Jordan for a fifth foul.
“I might get fined (if I talk about Clarkson fouling out), but it’s pretty obvious to everyone here; we all know basketball, and we understand it could have been easily a let-go,” said the Gilas tactician during the FIBA post-game presser.
The nationals were only down by just 79-76 with over three minutes remaining when Clarkson was slapped with a fifth foul.
This led to the automatic ejection of the Utah Jazz star from the game, where he scored 28 points.
“Unfortunately, the disqualification of Jordan was a big blow to us,” said Reyes.
Although Clarkson was visibly upset after his ejection, he chose not to dwell on the issue.
“Some calls didn’t go our way, but it’s part of the game,” said the Fil-American.
He was frustrated for the thousands of Filipino fans who trooped to the Philippine Arena and cheered during their game against the Dominican Republic.
“I’m glad they came out to support us,” said Clarkson.
“It’s kind of upsetting we didn’t come up with the win. There are things that didn’t go our way towards the end,” he said.
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