The good news for Malaysia’s men’s basketball team is they know what it takes to win gold at the SEA Games. The bad news is so does the Philippines.
Malaysia and the Philippines have combined to win all 15 gold medals since the inaugural SEA Games, with the Philippines holding a 14-1 edge on top of the podium.
Both teams won their respective games on Monday, with Malaysia beating Cambodia 73-58 and the Philippines shrugging off a slow start to beat Singapore 88-75.
“There is a lot of pressure but we have to accept that,’’ said Bobby Ray Jr. Parks after Philippine’s win. “We know the odds favor us again. We just have to play with a sense of urgency.”
That sense of urgency was, however, missing early on against Singapore, and the Philippines had their hands full for most of the game as their opponents refused to go quietly.
“You learn from this and adjust,’’ said Bobby Ray Jr. Parks, who scored 12 points.
The Malaysians were never in trouble in their match against Cambodia, although they too were not sharp early on.
Malaysia last won a SEA Games basketball gold in 1989 and team captain Gan Hong Hoon said success atop the podium will not come easy.
“We have a chance to win and it all depends on our spirit to win,’’ Gan Hong Hoon said. “We did not have a great first half. We struggled with our shooting but we made some adjustments and had a better second half.’’
Malaysia coach Paul Advincula said his team only plays as well as its needs to beat the opponent.
“When we are up against a strong team, we tend to be better. But against a team that is not really that strong, we do not play as well. We play to our competition. Today, I was disappointed with the first half,” he said.
In the late game, Indonesia beat Myanmar 83-40.
Malaysia and the Philippines have combined to win all 15 gold medals since the inaugural SEA Games, with the Philippines holding a 14-1 edge on top of the podium.
Both teams won their respective games on Monday, with Malaysia beating Cambodia 73-58 and the Philippines shrugging off a slow start to beat Singapore 88-75.
“There is a lot of pressure but we have to accept that,’’ said Bobby Ray Jr. Parks after Philippine’s win. “We know the odds favor us again. We just have to play with a sense of urgency.”
That sense of urgency was, however, missing early on against Singapore, and the Philippines had their hands full for most of the game as their opponents refused to go quietly.
“You learn from this and adjust,’’ said Bobby Ray Jr. Parks, who scored 12 points.
The Malaysians were never in trouble in their match against Cambodia, although they too were not sharp early on.
Malaysia last won a SEA Games basketball gold in 1989 and team captain Gan Hong Hoon said success atop the podium will not come easy.
“We have a chance to win and it all depends on our spirit to win,’’ Gan Hong Hoon said. “We did not have a great first half. We struggled with our shooting but we made some adjustments and had a better second half.’’
Malaysia coach Paul Advincula said his team only plays as well as its needs to beat the opponent.
“When we are up against a strong team, we tend to be better. But against a team that is not really that strong, we do not play as well. We play to our competition. Today, I was disappointed with the first half,” he said.
In the late game, Indonesia beat Myanmar 83-40.
