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Photo courtesy of Fiba.com
2015 FIBA ASIA MENS CHAMPIONSHIP DRAW TOOK PLACE LAST SATURDAY, JUNE 27 IN CHANGSHA, CHINA WHERE GILAS PILIPINAS ESCAPE POWERHOUSE TEAMS ATLEAST IN THE PRELIMINARY ROUND IN THE UPCOMING FIBA ASIA CHAMPIONSHIP AS GILAS HAVE BEEN BRACKETED WITH TEAMS WHO ARE NOT BIG NAMES IN THE ASIAN BASKETBALL SCENE. BUT, COACH TAB BALDWIN, THE NEW GILAS PILIPINAS COACH, SAID IN AN INTERVIEW THAT IT IS NOT HIS NATURE TO TAKE OPPONENTS LIGHTLY AS THESE UNDERDOG TEAMS WILL GIVE THEIR BEST AND WILL NOT JUST GIVE THE GAME EASILY TO GILAS.
THE 2015 CHAMPIONSHIP DRAW RESULTS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
GROUP A:
MALAYSIA WILL BE JOINED BY JAPAN, 2013 FIBA ASIA DEFENDING CHAMPION IRAN, AND A SOUTH ASIA QUALIFIER.
GROUP B:
UNRANKED PALESTINE WILL TRY TO MAKE IT TO THE NEXT STAGE AGAINST PHILIPPINES WHO RANKED 31ST IN THE WORLD, KUWAIT WHO RANKED 70TH, AND AN EAST ASIA QUALIFIER.
GROUP C:
HOST AND POWERHOUSE CHINA WILL BATTLE IT OUT WITH JORDAN, SINGAPORE, AND KOREA.
GROUP D:
MIDDLE EAST HEAVYWEIGHT QATAR WILL TRY TO TOP THE GROUP AGAINST KAZAKHSTAN, LEBANON, AND CHINESE TAIPEI.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT : FIBA.COM
*THE GROUP PHASE WILL BEGIN WITH THE FIRST ROUND, IN WHICH THE 16 TEAMS WILL BE DIVIDED INTO FOUR (4) GROUPS OF FOUR (4) TEAMS. EVERY TEAM WILL TAKE ON ITS THREE (3) OPPONENTS IN ITS RESPECTIVE GROUP.
*THE TOP THREE (3) TEAMS FROM EACH GROUP ADVANCE WILL ADVANCE TO THE SECOND ROUND. THE OTHERS WILL PLAY CLASSIFICATION GAMES 13-16.
*IN THE SECOND ROUND, THE TWELVE (12) REMAINING TEAMS WILL BE DIVIDED INTO TWO (2) GROUPS OF SIX (6). EACH TEAM WILL PLAY AGAINST THE THREE (3) NEW TEAMS IN ITS GROUP.
*THE TOP FOUR (4) TEAMS FROM EACH GROUP ADVANCE TO THE QUARTER-FINALS. THE OTHERS WILL PLAY CLASSIFICATION GAMES 9-12.
*THE FINAL PHASE WILL BE PLAYED IN A KNOCKOUT FORMAT FROM THE QUARTER-FINALS ONWARDS (QUARTER-FINALS, SEMI-FINALS AND FINAL).
THE 2015 CHAMPIONSHIPS WILL TAKE PLACE FROM 23 SEPTEMBER - 3 OCTOBER IN CHANGSHA - HUNAN, CHINA.
LET US ALL HOPE THAT THE NEW GILAS 3.0 TEAM LED BY COACH TAB BALDWIN WILL BE ABLE TO HURDLE EVERY TASK AHEAD AND SHOWCASE OUR BRAND OF PLAY OF BASKETBALL AT ITS BEST AS THEY HOPE TO WIN THE GOLD AND AUTOMATICALLY REPRESENT NOT JUST THE PHILIPPINES, BUT THE ENTIRE ASIAN REGION IN THE COMING 2016 OLYMPICS IN BRAZIL.
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