MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas assistant coach Tim Cone came into the defense of Scottie Thompson after his prized Barangay Ginebra guard botched his free throws in a loss to Jordan.

For Cone, the positives outweigh the negatives as he praised Thompson for his all-around performance that enabled the Philippines to storm back from a 25-point hole against Jordan before it fell 91-90 on Monday, February 28.

“Scottie missed two free throws? I didn’t notice,” Cone wrote on Twitter.

Thompson put the Filipinos in prime position to take their first lead since the opening quarter after getting fouled with 30 seconds remaining but muffed both of his charity shots.

Cone, though, said that blunder does not take anything away from the way Thompson delivered on both ends.

Backstopping Ginebra teammate Justin Brownlee in their second-half comeback, Thompson finished with 9 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal in 30 minutes of action.

Cone also praised Thompson for his defensive work on Jordanian guard Freddy Ibrahim, who got limited to just 3 points in the last two quarters after waxing hot for 16 points in the first half.

“I did notice the [defense] he played on Ibrahim in the second half, the many assists to JB, the hustle, the energy, the rebound,” said Cone.

“What a blessing to have him on Gilas!”

As the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers are now in the books, Cone and Thompson turn their attention back to Ginebra as they resume their bid for a third straight Governors’ Cup crown. – Rappler.com