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Taulava looks back on 2015 FIBA Asia final: 'It was so disheartening'

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/sports/07/23/20200723-asi-taulava-fiba.jpg?ext=.jpg"/><figcaption>Asi Taulava during the 2015 FIBA Asia Championships. FIBA.basketball</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA, Philippines -- Asi Taulava has great memories of his stint with the Philippine national team in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, where he and the rest of Gilas Pilipinas exceeded expectations in bringing home a silver medal.The team played without several members of the 2013 squad that also won silver and qualified to the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, and Taulava was frank in saying that they were considered as the &quot;Team B.&quot;&quot;There was nothing much expected out of that team,&quot; said Taulava during a recent appearance on &quot;2OT.&quot; &quot;I remember when we went to Estonia, we were getting beat by 30 points. And all of us like, nah. We get back to Manila, let&#x27;s hide guys.&quot; They got better and better through those tough competitions and coach Tab Baldwin&#x27;s intense training camps. A strong stint in the William Jones Cup, where they placed second to Iran, raised the team&#x27;s spirits. That was when they started believing that they can pull off some shockers, said Taulava. Their campaign in the FIBA Asia Championship actually started off on the wrong foot, as they lost to Palestine in their first game, but they grew better from there. A stunning 87-73 victory over Iran in the second round showed that the &quot;Team B&quot; had what it takes to win the whole tournament -- and qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.&quot;The only incident we regret was China,&quot; Taulava recalled.The NLEX center was referring to the gold medal match against the home nation, which saw China win 78-67 to claim the ticket to the Olympics. But the Filipinos felt they never got a fair shake in the match, from the beginning.&quot;Never seen that in the finals where we gotta sit around and wait. Like, come on man, start the game,&quot; said Taulava.The Philippines believed that the opposition employed &quot;delaying tactics&quot; against them. Their transportation to the venue was delayed, and they had even less time to warm-up when the utility crew had to fix the ring on their side of the court, while the Chinese players were already shooting around. Filipino fans also repeatedly questioned the officiating during the game.&quot;It was so disheartening to see that. You know that you&#x27;re not given a chance. The other team is being given the game. No matter what you do, it&#x27;s not gonna be enough,&quot; Taulava said as he looked back on the game.&quot;&#x27;Cause the three guys with the whistle, feels like 8 on 5 out there. And, you know, jump out to that big lead and you see how fast the gap of the game closed, it was like, what is this? Let&#x27;s get this game over. I understand my teammates&#x27; frustration during the game, everything was going on, all the calls… This game of basketball,&quot; he added.Andray Blatche was the only Gilas player in double digits with 17 points. Jayson Castro, who had been sensational all tournament, was limited to eight points. Taulava did not play in the game.&quot;We just hoped that the final game was played somewhere else instead of China,&quot; Taulava said. &quot;China is China.&quot;Despite his disappointment about the gold medal match, Taulava treasures his stint with the national team in 2015. He was especially delighted at winning two silver medals with the squad, one from the Jones Cup and another from the FIBA Asia Championship. &quot;I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the whole trip. It was fun, from Day 1 to the last day with that team. It was awesome,&quot; he said.&quot;You know, thanks to Coach Tab, Dray, Dondon (Hontiveros), all those guys, Jayson. I ended up with my first medal. Two silver medals for that team. The one from the Jones Cup and that FIBA tournament. Finally had my first silver medal. That was the best feeling,&quot; he added.For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.

Asi Taulava has great memories of his stint with the Philippine national team in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, where he and the rest of Gilas Pilipinas exceeded expectations in bringing home a silver medal.

Asi Taulava has great memories of his stint with the Philippine national team in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, where he and the rest of Gilas Pilipinas exceeded expectations in bringing home a silver medal.

Taulava looks back on 2015 FIBA Asia final: 'It was so disheartening'

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Taulava looks back on 2015 FIBA Asia final: 'It was so disheartening'

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 23, 2020 03:42 PM PHT

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Updated July 23, 2020 04:11 PM PHT

Read More:

FIBA

FIBA Asia Championship

Asi Taulava

Gilas Pilipinas

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