- Pingris says they may need the entire Gilas team to slow down the NBA star
- However, he says they’re not backing down because Gilas has its own pool of stars
- Gilas coach also banking on home crowd to unnerve Parker on game day
MANILA, Philippines – With multi-NBA champion Tony Parker’s attendance at the FIBA 2016 Manila Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila in July confirmed, Gilas Pilipinas veteran forward Marc Pingris admitted it may just take the entire team to slow down the speedy guard.
“Si Tony Parker magaling sa pick-and-roll yan. Hindi lang dapat ako yung dumepensa sa kanya. Yung buong Gilas. Yun ang kailangan. Napakagaling niya. Ilang championships na nakuha niya sa NBA. Beterano siya so kailangang pag-aralan ‘yung mga galaw niya,” he told InterAksyon.
[Tony Parker is good with the pick-and-roll. I’m not the only one who should do the defense, it should be the entire Gilas. That’s what’s needed. He is very good. He won many championships in the NBA. He’s a veteran so we need to study his moves.]
At the same time, Pingris said he is confident in his teammates’ own ability to defend and deliver against the vaunted French team.
“Hindi ka na mangangamba na maliliit tayo. Nai-imagine ko na si Greg, tapos andyan si Blatche tsaka si June Mar tapos andyan pa si Japeth kahit mag-3 pa siya. Tapos mayroon tayong dalawang shooters,” he said.
[You need not be worried that we’re shorter. I can imagine Greg Slaughter in the line-up, then Andray Blatche and June Mar Fajardo and then Japheth Aguilar even if he’s assigned to shoot threes. Then we have two shooters.]
For his part, Gilas coach Tab Baldwin said he hopes Filipino basketball fans — known to be one of the most boisterous in the world —can help unnerve Parker and make him lose focus on game day.
“On that day, he could possibly be the Public Enemy No. 1 by 100-million fans and he should be relatively uncomfortable that day,” he said. “The day after, we can love Tony for all the wonderful things that he is and has given to the game of basketball.”
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