Taichung Suns head coach Chris Gavina said Sunday his team respects everybody but does not fear anybody in the leadup to their next T1 LEAGUE game on Nov. 20 against the Taoyuan Leopards, which features recently recruited former NBA star Dwight Howard.
“We respect everybody, but we don’t fear anybody. So, we will go into that game with every intention of winning,” the Filipino coach said while speaking to media at a post-game press conference at the University of Taipei’s Tianmu campus gym.
Howard arrived in Taiwan on Thursday to much fanfare after the Leopards announced his signing last week.
The 2.08-meter-tall Howard was the first overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft and is an eight-time All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year during 18 seasons in the NBA, which included winning a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2019-2020 season.
“Whether it’s Dwight Howard or whoever is in front of us, we just got to have the same mindset that we got to outwork them, but today we got outworked,” Gavina said, citing his team’s 109-94 loss on the road Sunday to the TaiwanBeer HeroBears.
The HeroBears, which bounced back from a loss against the defending champions Kaohsiung Aquas a day earlier, were trailing the Suns 27-22 at the end of the first quarter but managed to surge ahead and take a 57-54 lead at half time.
The scores remained tight at the start of the second half with neither team able to lead by more than four points before ending the third quarter with 80 apiece. The HeroBears then rallied to dominate the first two and a half minutes of the fourth quarter with 11 consecutive points to lead by double digits 91-80. From there, the Suns were unable to catch up and trailed for the rest of the game.
With the score in the HeroBears’ advantage at 109-94, HeroBears head coach Yang Chih-hao (楊志豪) contested a referee’s call on an out-of-bounds ball with under 14 seconds left in the game.
The referee had originally ruled that the ball had been knocked out of bounds by HeroBears center Matt Hodgson, but later changed his decision after a replay review to rule that Suns center Aaron Geramipoor had been the last to touch the ball.
When asked about his thoughts on the incident, Gavina said Yang had the right to challenge the call, but he personally would not have done it.
“I would’ve been a lot more respectful and considered that I already have the lead and just let the game progress as it may, but as I said it’s his right. So, you know, you mark it up, you remember that occurrence (for) next time we play them,” Gavina said.
Gavina, the first Filipino head coach in the T1 LEAGUE, stepped down as assistant coach of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in Philippine Basketball Association to get on board with the Suns this season.
With the defeat, the Suns are now fourth in the six-team league standings with a 1-2 record, while the HeroBears are third at 1-1. GhostHawks top Leopards
Also, in the T1 LEAGUE on Sunday, the Tainan TSG GhostHawks outhustled the Taoyuan Leopards 114-100 at home at Chia Nan University of Pharmacy & Science’s Shao Tsung Gymnasium in the southern Taiwanese city.
New Leopards signing Howard, who arrived in Taiwan on Thursday night, did not play that game. His first game is expected to be a home game on Nov. 19 at National Taiwan Sport University Arena in Taoyuan.
Leopards small forward Troy Williams led all scorers with 36 points and 11 rebounds, while shooting 12-37 from the floor, including 4-19 from beyond the arc and 8-18 from the stripe.
The GhostHawks will next play the Suns at the National Taiwan University of Sport in Taichung on Nov. 26 and the Leopards will next play the New Taipei CTBC DEA at National Taiwan Sport University Arena in Taoyuan on Nov. 19.
Kings top Lioneers
Meanwhile, in the P. LEAGUE+, the New Taipei Kings topped the Hsinchu Jko Lioneers 113-78 at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei on Sunday. Kings guard Joseph Lin (林書緯) led all scorers with 28 points, while Lioneers guard Terrico White led with his team with 22 points.
The Kings will next play the Dreamers at Taichung Intercontinental basketball dome on Nov. 19, while the Lioneers will be pitted against the Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers at Hsinchu County Stadium on the same day.
Braves overpower Dreamers
Also, in the P. LEAGUE+, the Taipei Fubon Braves overpowered the Formosa Taishin Dreamers 108-75 at Taichung Intercontinental basketball dome on Sunday. The league’s two-time finals MVP Mike Singletary posted 25 points and nine rebounds for the Braves, while Dreamers forward Malcom Miller led his team with 19 points and eight rebounds.
The Braves will next play the Lioneers at Hsinchu County Stadium on Nov. 20 and the Dreamers will next face the Kings at Taichung Intercontinental basketball dome on Nov. 19.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel