GILAS Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone said the team only turned its attention to the quotient late in its 105-61 defeat to China during their 2026 Asian Games match on Monday in Japan.
The Philippines entered the game needing to avoid a defeat by more than 37 points to preserve its chances of advancing to the quarterfinals through the point-differential tiebreaker. Instead, China cruised to a 44-point win, sending Gilas out of the competition.
Cone said the team eventually considered the quotient scenario, but only after China had already taken control of the game.
“But in my opinion, it was just the opposite and I felt we started thinking quotient too late,” Cone said in a Viber message to Fastbreak on Tuesday. “By the time we did think quotient, China had all the momentum.”
“On hindsight, I wish we had been more concerned about quotient at the beginning of the game,” added the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings mentor.
Cone’s remarks came in response to criticism from former PBA commissioner Noli Eala, who described the result as a national embarrassment.
“NAKAKAHIYA!” Eala wrote in a post. “Gilas came into this game with a mindset that they could just LOSE, (mind you) NOT win, LOSE by 37. Where is the national pride? They lose 105-61. 44 points. Unacceptable.”
Asked about Eala’s comments, Cone said he was surprised by the criticism because of their long familiarity.
“Actually, Noli knows me very well, so I’m a little surprised,” Cone said.
The loss left Gilas with a 1-2 record in Group C and eliminated the Philippines from the men’s 5-on-5 title race. (Adrian Co)
