Lessons from Tall BlacksThere were several positive takeaways from Gilas’ 69-66 loss to New Zealand in the second FIBA World Cup Asia qualifying window at the MOA Arena last Thursday. The most impactful was the way coach Tim Cone’s squad played defense, holding the Tall Blacks to nine points below their average this window, 35.8 percent from the field and forcing 18 turnovers. The Tall Blacks didn’t just switch off ball-screens, they blitzed. When Gilas beat the Tall Blacks in 2024, he fired 26. Despite Gilas’ poor shooting from the field (33 percent) and line, the Tall Blacks won by only three.
