BOCAUE, Bulacan - As the Australian men's basketball team wrapped up their practice at the Philippine Arena on Sunday afternoon ahead of their 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier bout against Gilas Pilipinas, there was a sense of eagerness and focus.
Coming off a disheartening 79-78 loss against Japan on Friday, the Boomers will now have to turn their attention to the Philippines. The winner of the match will also determine the top seed in Group B with a 5-1 record.
"I mean, obviously disappointing loss, but we gotta move forward and learn from that," point guard Matthew Dellavedova said about their defeat at the hands of the Akatsuki Five. "We're definitely excited for tomorrow night."
Wearing a Boomers practice jersey that boasted the traditional shade of green of the national team, Dellavedova looked calm and collected. The game against the Philippines will be the Milwaukee Bucks point guard's second game in the Asian Qualifiers. And you can tell that he is raring to get back on the court as soon as possible.
"We're excited to play, and you know, playing for your country there's always a passion and some kind of pressure, but that's the pressure you want as a player representing your country," he said.
Dellavedova is no stranger to the bright lights of a big game of course. He has three gold medals from his time playing with the national team where Australia has previously dominated the FIBA Oceania region. Plus, he also won an NBA title with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. The 27-year-old guard knows that pressure comes with the job.
After the Japan loss, the Boomers got a chance to review what they needed to improve.
"Just a number of areas we just need to clean up. You know, attention to the little things because that's the game of basketball," he mentioned. "You have to take care of the little things - defensive transition, boxing out, and then if you do that, the ball will usually bounce your way."
Those little things that Dellavedova pointed out will surely be tested when they lock horns with Gilas.
"I think they have a good inside-outside presence. The guards are all quick and can penetrate and score, and they're really aggressive in transition so we need to make sure we get back," assessed Dellavedova on the Filipino players. "And then, inside, the bigs can feed off the guards' penetration but they can also post up or put the ball on the floor themselves. So it's gonna take a team effort defensively to make sure we play good defense for the full 40 minutes."
After the Boomers finished practice inside the empty and quiet 55,000-seater venue, they seemed motivated and hungry to bounce back from their loss.
"It's gonna be a tough game in front of obviously a big, passionate crowd so we gotta be ready to play," Dellavedova said.