China books a ticket to the FIBA Asia Championship Finals by
defeating Iran 70-57. They led the entire game and were never seriously
threatened by an Iran team that was dominant in the last decade.
Here are five quick impressions on the game:
Haddadi and Bahrami are still among the best players in Asia
– Haddadi scored 16 points and collared 11 rebounds while Bahrami score 18
points and got 7 rebounds. These are impressive numbers, considering they went
up against a Chinese team that was just as tall and arguably faster than they
were.
Where Kamrani goes, Iran goes – Iran has had comfortable
victories where Haddadi did not dominate and that’s because Kamrani did. We’ve
seen a major dip in Kamrani’s performance lately (he went 2-10 today, for 6
points and had only 1 assist) and you’ve got to wonder if age has finally
caught up with the Iranian spitfire.
China is the real deal – A Chinese team has not been this
terrifying since the days of Yao Ming. Yi Jianlian is expectedly leading the
charge but there has been no shortage of hearoes for China, with Peng Zhou, Qi
Zhou and Guo Ailun all contributing immensely.
China is positioned to be the new dominant force in Asia – Yi
Jianlian is a 27-year old NBA talent. Peng Zhou is 25. Gou Ailun is 21. 7’1”
youngster Qi Zhou is 19. Compared to Gilas (the oldest team in the tournament)
and Iran (among the oldest), this team will be contending the next decade while
these two teams rebuild.
Home cooking is always a factor – I don’t care what any FIBA
official says. Hometown calls exist and the refs made life miserable for Iran. Any
team that faces the Chinese team in China have to be smart enough to not force
the referees into making hometown calls.
That being said, winning against China tomorrow is a touch
task for either Gilas or Japan. Hopefully, it’s Gilas who will have that shot.
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