Serbia’s Marjanovic praise Gilas Pilipinas for being ‘good team’
After a crushing 126-67 win over Gilas Pilipinas in the 2019 FIBA World Cup group stage, Serbian big man Boban Marjanovic still left praise for the Philippine national basketball team.
In a video interview by ESPN5’s Paolo Del Rosario, Marjanovic said the Philippines plays with good knowledge overall when it comes to the sport.
“I think they are a really good team. They have a high IQ to be honest,” he said. “They missed some shots but when we watched the film how they play, they really play with a big heart, they play tough.”
Marjanovic finished with nine points in limited minutes. Seven others scored in double-digits led by his fellow NBA mainstays Nemanja Bjelica who had 20 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic who chipped in 17 points.
Filipino fans looked forward to the NBA veteran’s appearance and a match-up with Gilas big June Mar Fajardo who strikes a close resemblance to his Serbian counterpart.
Watch: Gilas Pilipinas vs Serbia FIBA World Cup Highlights
Fajardo did score against Marjanovic to the delight of fans in Foshan. But the 7-foot-3 behemoth scored back with a hook shot over the five-time PBA MVP.
Marjanovic added the Philippines just committed too many mistakes in the game, a big no-no in the international level.
“They made mistakes. We won tonight and we played super good,” Marjanovic said.
Gilas will play Angola on Wednesday to wrap up their group stage play.
Written by Levi Verora, Jr.
Photos by Glenn Michael Tan
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