Puso ang panlaban ng Pilipinas!

The Philippines celebrated a historic day of hearts as our national team moves to the FIBA Asia finals.  A feat that was 36 years in coming.

Our Gilas boys outsmarted the much taller and feared players from the Kimchi country to bring home an 86-79 win over Korea.

They proved that "its not the height, but the heart" that matters when our country's pride is at stake.   They played "all hearts" in front of millions (18,000 live audience) amid various injuries and high pressure.

For anyone who wonder why we like basketball so much since we lack the height required to play this game, we just showed them why.  We don't need it.  Our boys were fierce, fast and fearless. They showed Korea and the rest of the world how basketball should be played.

This win guaranteed a silver for the Philippines if not a chance to get a gold.

All hearts and laughter as Gilas wins

I am not a fan of basketball or any other sports, but I have always believed that sports is a great equalizer especially when you see your underdog self triumph over the giants.

Last night we didn't care if the players were from our rival school, our least favorite PBA team or even that  some of their last names sound foreign. All we cared was that at that moment, they are just like any of us, standing tall and proud and showing the world what Pinoy Pride is all about.

We still have one game to go tonight, but win or lose, our Gilas boys has already carved their way into basketball history and in our hearts.

Note:  Image courtesy of PinoyRepublic.net