Beating the Tall Blacks of New Zealand on their home floor is a tall order. But it’s not exactly an impossible task for Gilas Pilipinas. It will be hard—very, very hard, in fact—to do, yet it is something Justin Brownlee and company can achieve. They’ve done it before in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, and maybe they can do it again on Friday, July 3, in the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifers.
Then again, how exactly can Gilas Pilipinas cut the Tall Blacks down to size?
The easy answer is that everything starts with Justin Brownlee.
Maybe it does. There’s just one problem: New Zealand knows it, and that’s exactly why the Tall Blacks configured their defense back in February on stopping the beloved 38-year-old import of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. New Zealand coach Judd Flavell admitted as much, telling reporters afterward that clamping down on JB was “about 80% of our game plan.” That game plan worked, and yet the Oceania powerhouse could only beat Gilas Pilipinas by three, 69-66.
So, no, New Zealand isn’t unbeatable. But there’s work to be done—and the formula would have to be good offense, great defense.
Kevin Quiambao and Company, the Ball’s in Your Court
Flavell also described Brownlee as “a true international scorer,” so expect him to continue with his Brownlee-centric defensive philosophy. That means New Zealand’s best defenders will be on JB. It also means hard shows on Kabayan on screen-and-rolls, the occasional double-team, and lots of attention thrown his way.
The attention Brownlee will get should, therefore, give the locals—Kevin Quiambao, Dwight Ramos, and Juan Gomez De Liaño come to mind—some breathing room to operate and a little more space to showcase what they can do offensively. They will need to take on this challenge and make the most out of it. They will have to be aggressive and make plays. Shoot when open. Drive when a lane opens up. Make the Tall Blacks defend five guys, not just one in Brownlee.
In other words, Quiambao, Ramos, and the rest of the Gilas Pilipinas locals need to show out on Friday.
Brownlee Needs to Play Better for Gilas Pilipinas
Ultimately, things will still circle back to Justin Brownlee. For all he has done for Gilas Pilipinas, he was the missing link in that 69-66 loss. Put simply, four points from your best player just won’t cut it. It simply isn’t enough. Needless to say, he will need to play better in this third window. He will need to figure out that New Zealand defense.
A high-scoring bounce back should be huge for Gilas. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be. If the locals rise to the occasion, a typical Brownlee game—something like the 26 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks he put up in Gilas’ breakthrough win against New Zealand back in 2024—could be enough to pull off the upset.
Then again, if the game is on the line come the fourth quarter, it is imperative that Brownlee takes charge. He won’t have to score every time, though it would be great; instead, he will have to use his gravity to make the right plays.
Again, beating the Tall Blacks of New Zealand on their home floor is a tall order. It isn’t impossible, though.
