Gilas two wins away from Paris

MANILA, Philippines —  Glittery Paris is within sight from where Gilas Pilipinas stands in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riva, Latvia.Glittery Paris.

Only two obstacles remain between the Nationals and a dream trip to the French capital for the prestigious Summer Games – tonight’s crossover semifinal match against world No. 12 Brazil and if the stars align, tomorrow’s golden duel against either Latvia or lower-ranked Cameroon.

“Imagine what happens if we can make it to Paris. Obviously, the country would go bonkers. They would go absolutely crazy,” coach Tim Cone said after hurdling pool play and moving two Ws away from the Philippines’ first appearance in Olympic men’s basketball since the turbulent 1972 Munich Olympics.

“But you know that’s a long ways away. We got this step done and now we got another step to take and I think that’s where the focus is and that’s hopefully where the focus is of our guys,” he added.

First up is Brazil in a win-or-go-home semis showdown today at 3:30 p.m. at Arena Riga (8:30 p.m. in Manila).

Headlined by Golden State Warriors guard Gui Santos and EuroLeague campaigner Bruno Cabocio, the Brazilians split their assignments in Group B, beating Montenegro, 81-72, and absorbing a 74-77 thriller to Cameroon, en route to the top seeding.

Cone’s 11-strong Gilas, No. 37 in the world, also went 1-of-2 on its way to second seeding in Group A.

The Filipinos set their campaign in motion with a stunning 89-80 reversal over world No. 6 host Latvia, ending a 64-year futility for the country against Europeans.

They fell short of making it a sweep and took a fighting 94-96 loss to No. 23 Georgia but just the same secured their semis berth with their superior +7 points difference.

“We had a slow start (against Georgia) but we’re able to get through it and gain our momentum throughout the game. We still lost the game. However, looking into the bigger picture, we’re on to the semifinals and that still gives us a chance to get to the Olympics,” guard Chris Newsome told One Sports.

“That’s the goal so looking forward, we’re still in the race. We’re looking forward to going to Paris and now it’s (a) do or die for us.”

Gilas takes on the