Springboard to dream big

Iran’s 7-2 giant Hamed Haddadi played only the last 56 seconds of the FIBA Asia/Pacific World Cup Qualifiers game against the Philippines at the Azady Gym where attendance was free of charge in Tehran last Thursday. Haddadi, nursing a groin injury, checked in to the cheers of the rowdy crowd with Iran ahead by 12 and the outcome effectively settled. Team Pilipinas scored four more points and wound up losing, 81-73.

It would’ve been the perfect opportunity to upset Iran on the road with Haddadi, an NBA veteran with Memphis and Phoenix, twiddling his large thumbs on the bench. Christian Standhardinger exploited Haddadi’s absence in the middle to erupt for 30 points but alas, had little support from his teammates. No other Philippine player scored in double figures as Iran reprised its strategy in beating South Korea in the semifinals of the recent Asian Games.

In Jakarta, Iran baited South Korean naturalized import Ricardo Ratliffe to hog the ball and try to win by himself. It compromised ball movement and limited South Korea to only 14 three-point attempts, taking away a major part of coach Hur Jae’s offense. Ratliffe got away with 37 points but Iran won, 80-68.

Against the Philippines, Iran was pushed to the limit. The Philippines was on top, 22-21, at the end of the first quarter and trailed only by two at the half, 40-38. Late in the third period, the count was tied, 58-all, then 7-foot Rouzveh Arghavan buried an unexpected triple and Nikkah Bahrami hit a field goal to make it 63-58. Raymond Almazan shot 1-of-2 free throws to narrow the gap, 63-59, to start the fourth quarter.

The margin was still four when Arghavan sank another triple to stretch the lead to seven, 71-64. Assistant coach/chief scout Ryan Gregorio had warned the team to beware of Arghavan whom he described as a floor spacer. “He will shoot perimeter jumpers,” said Gregorio. “Challenge!” That triple ignited a 13-5 blast that virtually killed the Philippines’ hopes of a comeback. Bahrami had six points and Behnam Yakhchali four in that surge.

Iran’s familiarity with the homecourt and as a team was a major factor. Head coach Yeng Guiao retained seven players from the Asian Games roster – Asi Taulava, Standhardinger, Almazan, Beau Belga, Gabe Norwood, Paul Lee and Poy Erram. He enlisted Marcio Lassiter, Alex Cabagnot, Ian Sangalang, Allein Maliksi and Scottie Thompson for Iran so the character of the team took a new twist. Before the contest, Guiao said lack of time to prepare and inexperience as a team playing together weighed the team down. But he refused to make excuses for the loss.

“As bad as we shot the whole game against Iran, we had a chance to win it in the fourth quarter,” said Guiao. “Because of Iran’s size even without Haddadi, it was imperative for us to make our three-point shots to steal homecourt. In general, homecourt is always a big advantage for the home team. Christian provided us inside presence but we couldn’t balance the scoring with our guards missing shots they would normally make.”

Lee, Norwood and Maliksi were a combined 0-of-5 from beyond the arc. As a team, the Philippines knocked down only 5-of-28 for a 17.9 percent clip compared to Iran’s 7-of-22 for 31.8 percent. Lassiter and Cabagnot shot 2-of-14 together. From the field, the Philippines hit 38.5 percent and Iran, 49.2 percent. Iran also had more rebounds, 45-36.

Aside from Standhardinger, Thompson was impressive for the Philippines. He finished with five points, including 1-of-1 triple, three rebounds and three assists in 10:41 minutes. Thompson was included in Guiao’s lineup for the Qatar game last night. Two others were Thompson’s Barangay Ginebra teammate Japeth Aguilar and deadshot Matthew Wright who both served their one-game FIBA suspension by sitting out the Iran contest.

Gregorio said the gallant stand against Iran on the road was a huge positive to build on. “I’m not a big fan of moral victories because it’s still a loss but that game can serve as a springboard for us to dream big,” he said. “An intact lineup plus longer preparation can be a positive game changer for us. Travel time, time difference, unfamiliarity with the playing venue, confusion on the practice schedule, delay of shoot-around due to placement of decals – all these were factors but they should never be an excuse. That’s the playing condition outside our country and we must be able to adapt. No excuses, we have to be more resilient.”

Gregorio said Haddadi’s absence wasn’t a big letdown for Iran. “Their core was still solid,” he said. “For us, we didn’t play JuneMar (Fajardo) due to injuries, too. So that basically cancelled each other out. Other Gilas main players also served their suspension. Despite all that, we competed and we were in the game. We should have shot better. Shooters like Marcio and Alex missed shots they usually make in the PBA with eyes closed. For new guys like Alex and Scottie, this was a new experience. They have to shoot over taller defenders and at the same time, defend. While for sweet shooter Marcio, this is re-learning the international brand of play. Our shooters had tough looks and even open looks but we just failed to nail them.”