Encouraging signs despite Tall Blacks’ loss to USA

The result may not have gone the Tall Blacks’ way, but there’s no other spectacle in international basketball that compares to playing the USA.

Right from when the US team stepped onto the court with over an hour to tip off, fans hovered around the stands taking in the sight of their heroes.

Yes, there was another team playing, the Tall Blacks — and even some of them had to double take when the likes of NBA-winning coaches Eric Spoelstra and Tyronn Lue emerged on the court for warm up.

Undoubtedly the biggest roar for the Kiwis was after they performed the haka, an enormous eruption from the Manila crowd in awe of New Zealand.

But that would be the last. The arena went into raptures when the likes of Austin Reaves, Paolo Banchero and Brandon Ingram were introduced to the crowd of 10 thousand at the Mall of Asia.

The Manila crowd obviously favoured the second-best side in the world….