Yao Ming was reduced to a mere spectator and couldn’t help but shake his head when his Shanghai Sharks battled Gilas Pilipinas during the two-day Philippines-China Friendship Games.
Yao, against Gilas on Monday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, looked like he wanted to suit up and play after seeing his Sharks being mangled by the 15-member national training pool of the Philippines.
The Sharks, the 2001 Chinese Basketball Association champion, even stared at a 19-point lead at 71-52 entering the final period.
Yao, the Sharks’ owner, was even seen talking to his players and head coach Wang Qun probably mapping out a play or trying to figure out what to do in order to win.
But Filipinos were rude hosts and except for a late fourth-quarter surge, the Sharks were completely outhustled and outsmarted by Gilas. The final score: Gilas 80, Sharks 72.
There’s a strong chance that Gilas and two of the Sharks’ players—big man Zhang Zhaoxu and team captain Liu Wei—will again face-off in the 2013 International Basketball Federation (Fiba)-Asia Championship for Men from August 1 to 11 in Manila.
The 7-foot-3 Zhang and Liu are both members of China’s men’s national basketball team with the latter also the squad’s skipper.
Zhang believes that is not yet the full strength of the 15-man Gilas squad. “I’ve seen familiar faces in the Philippine team that played internationally. They are talented athletes and well-coached but that is not their best line-up since the professional league in the Philippines is still ongoing. Combined the pro players with this team and it will be a very good and talent-loaded team.”
Zhang, before signing with the Sharks, was part of the Chinese junior team that competed in the 2009 Belgrade World University Games in Serbia.
He was elevated to China’s senior men’s team that competed in the 2010 Fiba World Championship in Turkey.
Yao, however, skipped the final day of the friendly games—where the Sharks battled the Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) All-Star Selection—as he returned to Beijing to attend a scheduled meeting.
This disappointed fans who were hoping to see the former Houston Rocket in the flesh. Nevertheless, the PBA Selection was all business and dealt the Sharks an 80-71 beating
Yao, during a brief interview with the Chinese and Filipino media gamely said that he wanted to play but the Sharks failed to bring a uniform that could fit him.
Asked how the Philippines can earn a return trip to the Fiba World Championship or the Olympics, he had a simple tip: Beat China.
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Photo: Yao Ming with Vice President Jejomar Binay, neither of whom played in the friendly games. Office of the Vice President
