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| The Beast, unleashed (Photo credit FIBA.com) |
On one side, Iran was blowing through the competition by a margin of at least 40 points. They were running their sets, dominating from start to finish, and doing it all despite the relatively subpar efforts from resident stars Nikkhah Bahrami and Hamed Haddadi (Mahdi Kamrani and up-and-coming star power forward Mohammad Hassanzadeh were doing much of the damage early on for German Coach Dirk Bauermann). They were simply that good.
For our Philippine team, well, we started the FIBA Asia tournament by losing a big lead-- and the game to then unranked Palestine. We proceeded to blow out Hong Kong and Kuwait, as was expected, but then struggled against a Japanese side to start the 2nd round-- a team that Iran basically pummelled into submission by a margin of more than 30 points. Oh, and Andray Blatche hurt his ankle in that same game, a night versus this heavyweight match-up with Iran. Also, we have yet to really see Dondon Hontiveros, JC Intal and Terrence Romeo light guys up from beyond the arc.
So yeah, forgive us for not liking our chances against Iran.
Gilas head coach Tab Baldwin had other things in mind.
Already known and recognized to have the "blueprint" in taking down the Haddadi-led Iranian side (he coached the Jordanian squad in 2011 that beat this very same team at full strength despite not having any household Asian superstar name on the roster), Baldwin pretty much executed his own gameplan with the tools at his disposal.
There were no JC Intal and Matt Ganuelas Rosser sightings in this one. Even when we wished for it after seeing Hontiveros throw brick after brick in the 1st quarter, and Gabe Norwood being a bit gun shy as compared to his usual FIBA Gabe mode.
No, Baldwin wanted guys who've been there and were ready to do what was necessary to win.
Jayson Castro dominated early, taking advantage of his match-up against Kamrani who was at a clear advantage owing to their contrasting styles. The Filipino Blur is an attack guard who can score in bunches while the other is a methodical orchestrator who was never known for beating guys off the dribble.
Blatche also answered the call by not showing any signs of the ankle injury he suffered the day before and more than held his own against Haddadi. While he was pretty much handicapped early thanks to silly fouls that forced him to play matador defense, he made sure to return the favor on offense by scoring at will and pulling Haddadi way out of the post enough for our own locals to roam around freely.
Still, at the end of the first half everyone couldn't shake the feeling that this game was still in favor of Iran who were up 43-37.
Then came the 2nd half which would probably be best described as "chaotic."
At first glance, it seemed as though Gilas was simply running a bunch of isolation plays for Castro, Blatche, Hontiveros and later on for Terrence Romeo. There were hardly any pick and roll plays, just a couple of screens here and there. Sure, we were moving the ball, but if only to ensure that it would always go back to the hands of our designated scorers on the floor, as previously mentioned.
Replays show however, that every time a Filipino offensive player would go for an attack, guys would already get in position to either offer a deep screen (Calvin Abueva) or angle for a rebound (Marc Pingris). Ranidel de Ocampo also contributed by making excellent decisions with the basketball, often serving as the low post anchor for a baby Triangle offense that allowed Gilas to swing the ball from side to side a lot easier.
This carried on into the fourth quarter, wherein another Baldwin adjustment came into play and perhaps led to Iran's downfall.
Norwood on Kamrani.
We've been so busy flirting with the idea that Norwood, our defensive ace from Gilas 2, should be sent to home in on Iran's best perimeter player-- Bahrami much like the NBA would Bruce Bowen on Kobe Bryant.
Well, screw that.
Norwood on Kamrani. Pingris and Abueva to rotate on Bahrami and everyone else not to mention to also help Blatche on Haddadi.
Once Kamrani couldn't see anything owing to Norwood's wiry 6"5 frame and reach, and basically kept turning the ball over (at one point he tried to throw the ball over Norwood's head, which was easily picked off by the athletic George Mason U product), this game was over with about 5 minutes left to play. Haddadi couldn't get the ball quickly enough, and when he did, Blatche was there to body him up. Once he spins away from Blatche, Pingris comes in from the side for the bump while Abueva sneaks in under his nose (quite literally) for the easy steal.
For the first time in a very long time, Iran looked like just another average Middle Eastern basketball team. They were big, they had shooters, but they were very disorganized.
Oh, and there were some timeouts wherein both Bahrami and Haddadi were seated away from the Bauermann's huddle-- but that's their problem.
How did Gilas do it?
They played disruptive defense. Switching. Swarming. Some parts Alaska. Some parts Meralco. Those are the best PBA comparisons that this writer could offer without saying much to help scouts form other countries.
Offense?
Castro. Blatche. Romeo. Abueva doing all the dirty work that leads to easy lanes for slashers.
And props to Asi Taulava for hauling down so many rebounds in the 1st and 2nd quarters when Blatche was plagued by foul trouble.
We've beaten Iran. But this is not what we went to China for. We're looking for a medal finish. And yes, we honestly believe that Iran is a lock for the Finals.
Can we beat them again?
Let's beat India today first.
Been following your blog since Calvin was drafted by my Aces. We need more sportswriters like you! Laban Pilipinas!
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