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Fiba Asia Finals: The Gilas FAN Checklist


While our Gilas tacticians headed by Coach Tab Baldwin have pretty much prepared a list for tonight’s awaited Gold Medal match with China, we fans are likewise getting ready.

How do you prepare for tonight’s final game? Here’s our Gilas Pilipinas Fan Checklist:


  • Set Your Alarms Clocks.  If you are in the Philippines, game time is at 8:30 tonight. But if you are elsewhere in the world (there’s like millions of Filipinos overseas), please make sure you have set your schedule locally. Your smartphones can definitely handle that for you especially if you will be doing something else but wanted to stop and watch the game.


  • Reserve the Television.  If you are watching at home, make sure you have the television to yourself during this time. You don’t wanna get in trouble with grandma or your mom who has a Saturday night TV date with some spanish telenovela on cable (or Netflix). If you tell them in advance, I’m sure they will understand that you badly want to have the TV to yourself from 8:30 PM onwards. You can assure them that they are doing a great service to the country by letting you watch the game.

  • Check Your Internet.  If you are watching via livestream make sure you have an internet connection at this hour. Or when in the Philippines, make sure you have a decent internet connection (otherwise if it's an ISP Bonanza-speed, run to the nearest sports bar to watch the Finals match).


  • Prepare, Eat & Finish Dinner Early.  Although the game time is way past the normal 7PM dinner time (at least in the Philippines and in similar time zones, in some countries that'd be breakfast time), we usually hang around the dinner table for some post-dinner chit-chat. And sometimes when our living legends in the household begin talking and telling stories, it becomes so hard to stop them and declare that dinner’s over. Make sure you have this under control or else you’ll miss the game for sure.


  • Put The Kids To Sleep Early. Unless your kids are Gilas diehards like you are, then that’s fine. However for those who have toddlers or younger under their watch make sure you plan your time and see to it that the little ones are in dreamland before jumpball.


  • Popcorn, Soda & Beer.  This will be a blockbuster Saturday night viewing experience. If you are wont to having these stuffs (or barbecues, chips, whatever), then be sure to get them drinks cold, chilled and prepared. You can assign this chores to other family members (or to a significant other) if you see yourself preoccupied with other matters. By doing so you it makes a healthy practice of household delegation and task-sharing.


  • Watch With Your Family or Significant Other.  It's all about national pride. You might want to suggest to the family that you watch the game together. This sure will be a great family bonding experience. Plus contrary to watching PBA or NBA games, this time you will be in the same team. Same thing applies with your significant other. You can make this as your "Gilas Date". And when Gilas wins the gold, expect some explosive fireworks to celebrate Gilas' victory thereafter.


  • PRAY.  Lest we forget, we storm the heaven in prayer for our team to win. The odds are not in our favor. We're playing in a very hostile environment. In a country who imposes its will on us in view of the recent territorial disputes. We expect the worst in terms of playing in this condition tonight. But our God (or any Deity of your choice) is so much bigger than any of these. And we are a nation powered by faith and miracles. So nothing is impossible if we believe.

So there you go. In a few hours, it's war! It's gonna be one awesome Saturday night (or morning perhaps, elsewhere) we Filipinos will never forget, for a very long time!

Laban Pilipinas. Puso!



... follow @labapilipinas on twitter for some sports laundering!

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