The digital echo chamber of Philippine basketball is, once again, a cacophony of blame. Barely hours after Gilas Pilipinas’ 95-87 defeat to Chinese Taipei in their FIBA Asia Cup 2025 opener in Jeddah, the familiar ritual has commenced: the frantic search for a scapegoat. It’s a predictable, almost Pavlovian response whenever the national team falters, and this latest instance is no different.
While acknowledging that Gilas did not play their best basketball that night – a sentiment echoed by Coach Tim Cone himself – the immediate rush to single out individuals and call for drastic measures is a worrying trend. It’s as if some fans and even analysts are incapable of accepting that, sometimes, the opponent simply plays better.
June Mar Fajardo, the eight-time PBA MVP, has been a primary target of criticism, his limited offensive output and struggles against Chinese Taipei’s naturalized center becoming fodder for online outrage. Others have pointed fingers at various players, dissecting every missed shot and defensive lapse. It's a feeding frenzy of negativity, often devoid of nuanced analysis and context.
Lost in this storm of criticism is the simple fact that Chinese Taipei played an exceptional game. Chen Ying-Chun was virtually unstoppable, and their team as a whole executed their offense with precision and intensity. They shot well, moved the ball effectively, and displayed a hunger that Gilas, on this particular night, couldn’t consistently match. To reduce their victory to mere Gilas shortcomings is to disrespect their performance and the effort they put forth.
Perhaps the most baffling aspect of this immediate backlash is the resurfacing calls for Coach Tim Cone’s replacement. The same coach who masterminded Gilas’ historic gold medal run in the Southeast Asian Games last year and led the team to a decisive victory in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga just weeks ago is now facing the wrath of fickle fans. The short memories and knee-jerk reactions are staggering.
It seems many have conveniently forgotten the months of hard work, strategic brilliance, and the undeniable success Gilas has achieved under Cone’s guidance. One off night, one loss in the opening game of a qualifying tournament, and suddenly the architect of recent triumphs is being called into question. This impatience and constant demand for immediate perfection ignore the complexities of international basketball and the reality that even the best teams have off nights.
The tendency to find a single individual to blame, whether it’s a player who had a quiet game or the coach who couldn’t conjure a win, reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of team sports. Basketball is a collective effort, and victories and defeats are shared. To constantly seek a scapegoat is not only unfair to the individuals involved but also prevents a more constructive analysis of what truly went wrong and how the team can improve.
Gilas Pilipinas, under Coach Tim Cone, has shown tremendous promise and achieved significant milestones. While the loss to Chinese Taipei is undoubtedly a setback, it should be viewed as a learning opportunity, a chance to regroup and come back stronger. Instead of indulging in the toxic cycle of blame and calls for immediate change, perhaps it’s time for Filipino basketball fans to adopt a more measured and supportive approach, one that recognizes the complexities of the game and acknowledges that even in defeat, there are lessons to be learned and progress to be made. Let’s not allow the knee-jerk reactions to overshadow the bigger picture and the genuine strides Gilas has made under its current leadership.
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