BEIRUT (FIBA Asia Cup 2017) - Matthew Wright and Gabe Norwood may be playing far from the Philippines, but they still feel at home thanks to the throngs of fans watching every Gilas game.

Wright has been a revelation for the Philippines in the FIBA Asia Cup 2017, raining threes on their foes with consistency. Norwood, meanwhile, is his good old reliable self, shadowing the opponent's best player and swatting shots like there's no tomorrow.

They're two of the most biggest names on the Philippines' roster, but even they get awed by the support they get from the Filipinos based in Lebanon.

"I got goose bumps on my face," Wright told Jutt Sulit of Sports5. "That’s when you know it’s real."

After their win over Qatar on Day 6, more than 2,000 fans waited for them outside the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex, turning the FIBA Asia Cup 2017 into one big party.

"It might have been the loudest gym I’ve played in the last five years. It was really deafening," said Norwood to Sports5. "There were a lot of plays where you couldn’t hear the whistle over the screams and the cheers, but it definitely gave me a sense of playing at home." 

Home - Norwood and his teammates are certainly missing home at this point in the tournament. They left their families and friends behind for a mission that has yet to be accomplished, with every game getting harder. But home is also what pushes the most. Home is the reason Gilas are here because their loved ones are for whom they are aiming to win - not just one more game, but the whole shebang.

They want to go home bringing the ultimate prize, which would make their loved ones' wait well worth it. Until then, however, these fans are their home away from home.

"If you close your eyes, you would think we were playing in Manila," Norwood said.

FIBA