No surprise for Cone as South Korea wins Asian Games basketball gold

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone had no doubt that the Korean national team is capable of winning the 20th Asian Games men’s basketball gold in the Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Cone said he already had that conclusion somewhat the moment the Koreans manhandled the Filipinos by an average winning margin of 26.5 points in their two-game Hana Invitational Basketball Invitational in Suwon, South Korea, just a week before the opening of the Asiad men’s basketball. “I thought Korea was the favored team for the gold from the beginning and despite our loss to China,” Cone told the Manila Times, just a day after Korea turned back host Japan, 67-57 on Sunday to win its first Asian Games men’s gold in 14 years. Cone and Gilas, backed by PBA stars, failed to defend the country’s Asiad basketball title following its embarrassing 105-61 defeat at the hands of mighty China at the close of the group stage. Many thought that China was a cinch to rule the basketball tournament this time after annihilating its opponents in the group stage behind an astounding average winning margin of 42.6 points per contest. In contrast, the Philippines limped to a 1-2 record at the end of the group stage...