A general view of the crowd during a Fiba Asia Cup qualifying game between Gilas Pilipinas and New Zealand in Auckland.–FIBA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—The Tall Blacks played on home soil at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand in the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers against Gilas Pilipinas but the atmosphere was anything but one-sided.
Even with Gilas in enemy territory, the last game of the qualifiers didn’t lack fan support parity.
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The Tall Blacks played the role of hometown heroes but even coach Judd Flavell didn’t feel that to be true.
READ: Amid NZ defeat, Gilas counts its blessings
“That crowd, even when they were down 20 or whatever it was, they were still in the game,” said Flavell following their 87-70 win over Gilas on Sunday morning (Manila time).
“Typically a crowd is quiet when that’s the case… The atmosphere was something else. When you play the Philippines, that’s what you get.”
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The Spark Arena housed 8,345 spectators with an imaginary line down the middle separating Aussies from Filipinos.
The Philippines took an offensive beating from New Zealand but by the sounds of cheers and jeers from inside the arena, it didn’t seem like a runaway dub for the Tall Blacks.
If anything, Flavell already expected the overflowing support of the Filipinos for the visiting Gilas squad.
“We kind of knew that. We didn’t talk much about it but I guess everybody who signed up for this game knew this was going to happen,” said Flavell.
Gilas tactician Tim Cone was also overwhelmed with the support of the Filipino OFWs even if they were thousands of miles away from home.
READ: Gilas’ Doha trip ‘probably hurt more than helped,’ says Tim Cone
The Ginebra mentor, though, felt that the Filipino spirit motivated the Tall Blacks as much as it did Gilas.
“I think oftentimes it pumps up the other team just as much as it pumps us up because they’re all challenged,” said a beaming Cone even after a 17-point beatdown.
The multi-titled PBA coach was also pleasantly surprised when he felt the support away from home like he did a few months back when the Philippines defeated Latvia in Riga during the 2024 Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament, 89-80, in July.
“It’s an amazing thing. Even in Latvia, we had a lot of guys watching when we were in Europe… It [support] doesn’t surprise us,” said Cone.