PHL-JPN Postgame Thoughts: Ultras, Gary David, and a not-so-sticky sticker

The Philippines got what it needed; an easy win. Once again Gilas turned up the heat in the third quarter, transforming a winnable game by the visitors into a 90-71 laugher. After so many grueling, energy-sapping battles over the last few days, the Philippines was able to relax a bit on Monday.

I could have sworn that Marcus Douthit was done for the night after resting on the bench for much of the third quarter while Gilas amassed a 75-51 advantage. I thought that coach Chot would want to rest him for Qatar.

But in the start of the fourth, there he was, back in the game. He would remain for quite a while. Reyes must have been ensuring that he wouldn't make the mistake of the debacle against Chinese Taipei, when the Gilas shock troopers couldn't hold the fort and surrendered the momentum to their opponents.

Japan were startlingly bad. Japanese art has a long tradition of hand-painted porcelain eggs with intricate artwork in the “satsuma” style. Often times the paintings are of geishas.

But there was nothing pretty about the black, red and white egg that the Japanese team laid on Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Japan were out of this game from the opening whistle. They looked sluggish, intimidated, nervous and mistake prone. They committed 18 turnovers that Gilas converted into 22 points. Gilas only forked the ball over four times. Only JR Sakuragi, Kosuke Takeuchi and Naoto Tsuji seemed to have a pulse that night for Japan.
ALSO READ: Qatar puts the hurt on Jordan to stay perfect.

Astonishingly, Japan outrebounded the Philippines 42 to 29, but it didn't seem that way. Japan shot just 37% from the field, giving them ample opportunities to get offensive boards.

Japan only lost to Qatar by one point. I watched Qatar dismiss Jordan on Monday morning, and I cannot imagine how the Gulf team struggled so mightily against the East Asians.

This is the Philippines' third win in a row against Japan. These days every game Gilas plays against most of our Asian neighbors seems to be a reminder of how we have been caught and passed by everyone else. But when we play the land of the Rising Sun, suddenly it's 1957 all over again.

Gary David was the feel-good story of the night. Who cares if his corner three came in garbage time? It was sort of the highlight of the evening. Everyone in the MOA Arena must have had goose bumps when the crowd started shouting “Ga-ry! Ga-ry.”

Sports fans can be cruel, but on Monday they showed their sympathy for David, who has struggled mightily in this tournament.

What could be better than a heroic performance from the Globalport Batang Pier star against Qatar on Tuesday to help win the game? Probably nothing.

ALSO READ: Chinese Taipei drubs Hong Kong, stays unbeaten.

Watching with the Ultras Filipinas is fun. I watched and cheered from General Admission just behind the Ultras Filipinas, an Azkals supporters group that is in Basketball mode until the end of the tournament.

The Ultras don't just cheer from start to finish during the game; they cheered in the escalators before the game and afterwards. They waited for the team after the game and serenaded them with cheering outside the bus.

Ultras Filipinas also starts the Mexican Waves during timeouts. Some waves peter out after a few sections. The Ultras cheer anyway.

One particularly successful wave even got picked up in the lower box section and made it all the way around, to the delight of everyone. (The lower box wave actually “overtook” the upper box wave.)

Apart from the Ultras, the crowd on Monday was quiet and not particularly energetic. The Iranian and Koreans fans give much more consistent support, with rhythmic clapping and organized cheering all throughout the game.

If every Gilas fan cheered like the Ultras, MOA Arena would truly be an intimidating fortress for visiting teams.

Something must be done about the FIBA Sticker From Hell. It may not be that apparent on TV, but there are three gigantic stickers on the court in MOA Arena. Two rectangular FIBA stickers on either side, and a center sticker that covers the Mall of Asia logo.

The sides of the center sticker are faux woodgrain that is meant to blend into the real wood court, so it isn't so obvious on TV. On the center is the FIBA logo.

Going into the Philippines – Japan game I had noticed four players in other games slip on the center sticker. On Monday night Larry Fonacier and Jimmy Alapag also lost their footing there.

It seems that when you run over the sticker there are no issues. But when a player cuts or changes direction, the side of his shoe, which has a surface that might not be as sticky as the rubber on the bottom outsole, sometimes doesn't catch on the sticker, causing the player to slip.

This won't be a big deal until a player slips and suffers a major injury, or a close game is turned in the final seconds because of a slip.

I find it odd that FIBA doesn't have something grippier for the sticker material. If it were up to me I would have foregone the center sticker and just stuck with the rectangular stickers. Having the FIBA logo in the center of the court is nice, but not at the expense of player safety.

Follow Bob on Twitter @bhobg333.