Moral victories don’t get chalked up in win columns. There are no moral gold medals after grueling title losses and no moral anthems play when one stands on a moral podium (moral high ground, perhaps?)
That was basically agreed on after Gilas Pilipinas finished its stint in the 2014 Fiba World Cup with a lone victory against Senegal in the group stage. It was a moment to savor, yes, especially since the World Cup came at the heels of the 2013 Fiba Asia championship, when the country swooned over the national squad following a dramatic semifinal victory over continental bully South Korea.
Critics and supporters of Gilas Pilipinas found something to shake hands on, in the wake of a disastrous campaign in the 2014 Asian Games, where the country etched into the record books its worst finish in men’s basketball in the quadrennial event. No more rock-the-arena standing ovations for non-tangible wins for the national team.
It was time to measure the Gilas Pilipinas program on actual wins and losses—you know, the kind that actually reflects on the scoreboard.
So when the applause crescendoed over the latest near-win against China’s newest basketball Great Wall, it was both a pleasant and puzzling surprise.
Especially since, well, this also happened on the same night:
Sportswriter. Couch Potato. Dad. 