FIBA Asia – Things getting interesting in Asia

WUHAN (FIBA Asia Championship) – While the FIBA Asia Championship has been running for five days, the chase for the title and a place at the London Olympics is now starting to get interesting.

On Day 6, the final day of the Second Round, the three remaining undefeated teams – China, Iran andKorea – face tough challenges in an appetising evening of basketball that will make the London equation a little clearer. 

“I think we will find out more from tomorrow. It is too early to tell,” said Korea coachJae Hur of his own team’s form, before being asked which of his main rivals appear to be travelling the best. “I think Iran is the better team, but it is really too early to tell.”

With the competition wide open, Jordan coach Tab Baldwin’s prediction of a knife edge tournament is looking like a good one.“It’s still open, I think it’s definitely open and will remain so until the final games,” he said. 

Jordan were hoping to rekindle their best form and upset China, but instead found themselves on the end of a 93-60 thrashing in the hosts’ most impressive performance so far.Now Jordan must defeat the United Arab Emirates to earn the right to play the all-conquering Iran in the Quarter-Finals.  

The Philippines were the team that bounced back into title contention on Day 5, physically beating up a Japan team that didn’t respond to the challenge inside the paint. Provided the Philippines can defeat Syria they will face Chinese Taipei in the Quarter-Finals.  

Things aren’t so comfortable for Japan who now take on China, and coach Tom Wismanknows his team faces their toughest ask of the tournament.“We’ve got to take the lesson we learned from the Philippines game - 52 points in the paint, we got out-rebounded by 13, and we didn’t match up to physicality,” he said. 

“If we can take something from that game and respond against China, which is going to be a much bigger test, we’ve got an opportunity to bounce back and show some heart.”

For Iran coach Veslin Matic, a number of teams are a big threat to his team’s reign as two-time defending champion.“We have played Korea before, and we lost to them, and Japan has improved a lot. There has been a lot of money invested in East Asian basketball and it is improving,” he said. “The balance is shifting a little bit this way.”

With just one Olympic berth and two places at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament on offer, things will certainly be in the balance until Sunday night, but things might be a little clearer Wednesday night after some of the giants of this year’s tournament have done battle.