The 2018 Asian Games are underway with China a perennial favorite to bag the gold in the men’s basketball event. The Chinese not only dwarf their opponents but also boast of a couple of legitimate NBA stars in 7-foot-2 Zhou Qi of the Houston Rockets and 6-foot-7 Ding Yanyuhang of the Dallas Mavericks.

China will have its first taste of action against a souped-up Philippine team. The Filipinos will get a bit of a boost following the NBA’s decision to allow the Cleveland Cavaliers star to suit up for his country. Clarkson, along with Zhou and Ding were given a one-time exemption by the National Basketball Association (NBA), ESPN said. The Asian Games is not part of an agreement the NBA has with FIBA when it comes to participating in international play.

With the row settled, China looms as the favorite to prevail over the unpredictable Philippine national squad. The Filipinos already showed what they are capable of doing, romping past Kazakhstan, 96-59, with Clarkson watching from the bench. The Fil-American arrived in Indonesia only in the third quarter after a whirlwind of uncertainty due to the NBA ruling.

The story is expected to be different once the Filipinos meet their taller Chinese counterparts. Clarkson could make a difference although it will take more than his lone efforts to fend off the mighty cagers of China.

Yeng Guiao, head coach of the Philippines, is fully aware of this and knows that it will take a monstrous team effort to get past by China. Right now, he is simply thankful that they were able to qualify for the next round despite the short time allotted for them to prepare, the Manila Bulletin said.

Guiao also stressed that he does not need Clarkson to score heavily against China. Instead, he hopes to use the NBA player as a decoy to free up the Filipino shooters.

“We don’t need him to score 50. What’s good for us is he can attract a lot of attention. That’s going to free up our local shooters. Our local scorers. It might be very useful for us, especially against China,” Guiao said.

Another thing working for China is the fact that chemistry factor. While reports claim that Clarkson was able to get a grasp of Guiao’s system, it remains to be seen if the case holds true when they meet on Aug. 21.

Either way, China is not expected to take the Filipinos lightly. Pressure will be on them to live up to their billing as favorites and hopefully cop their eighth gold in men’s basketball at the Asian Games, the South China Morning Post said.