Guilty of plagiarism?

Team Pilipinas assistant coach Caloy Garcia noticed something that Iran did to beat South Korea in the recent Asian Games in Jakarta. “They copied our strategy,” he said. “When we played Korea, we let (Ricardo) Ratliffe try to beat us by himself, that way the ball doesn’t move around, their rhythm is disrupted and the three-point shooters don’t get their shots. It almost worked for us because we were in it until the middle of the fourth period when we couldn’t stop them from getting offensive rebounds. The extra possessions gave Korea several chances to score three-pointers. If we had a big man like JuneMar (Fajardo) or Greg (Slaughter) against Korea, it would’ve been a different story.”

Iran executed the Philippines’ strategy to perfection. Ratliffe got away with 37 points but as a team, Korea shot only 4-of-14 triples. Iran even had more attempts from beyond the arc with 19. Jeon Junbeom and Heo Ilyoung were held scoreless. Jeon shot three triples in the fourth period against the Philippines while Heo fired 17 points. Iran crushed South Korea, 80-68.

South Korea’s failure to defend the Asian Games crown led to coach Hur Jae’s recent resignation. Hur was named national coach in 2016 and his contract expires in February next year. Hur’s former assistant Kim Sang Sik was appointed to take over on an interim basis. 

Garcia said Iran’s 6-7 Arsalan Kazemi, the Washington Wizards’ second round pick in the 2013 NBA draft from the University of Oregon, sat out the Korea game due to injury and played sparingly in the final which China won, 84-72. It’s not certain if Kazemi will play against the Philippines in the fourth window of the 2019 FIBA Asia/Pacific World Cup Qualifiers at the Azady Gym in Tehran today. Kazemi is averaging 7.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in six Qualifier games so far.

Haddadi, 33, announced he would retire after the Asian Games but it looks like the plan has been postponed. The former Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns’ 7-2 center compiled 23 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and four blocked shots against Korea in Jakarta then delivered 27 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in the final. The stats indicate that Iran’s fate is in Haddadi’s hands. If the Philippines is able to contain Haddadi, it has a chance of scoring an upset.

Iran hasn’t lost at home in the Qualifiers and is on a five-game winning streak. Its only loss was a 74-66 aberration to Iraq in Amman. Iran has rotated 21 players in six Qualifier games and only Haddadi (16.8), Nikkah Bahrami (12.8), Behnam Yakhchali (15.5) and Sajjad Mashayekhi (10.5) are averaging in double figure points. Burly 6-9 Saber Akhlagh Mohammad Hassanzadeh is averaging only 1.3 points and 9.9 minutes in the Qualifiers but has played in only three contests. Hassanzadeh was a monster in the Asian Games final with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Bahrami, 35, was supposed to hang up his sneakers even before the Asian Games but like Haddadi, he’s far from finished. In four Qualifier games, he averaged 12.8 points, four rebounds and 6.8 assists. What makes Bahrami doubly dangerous is his ability to pass. He had six assists against South Korea and eight against China in the Asian Games. 

National coach Yeng Guiao said Iran’s biggest advantages are its homecourt and the experience of playing together. “The core of Iran’s team has been together even during my 2009 stint as coach in Tianjin,” he said. “They know the international game so well since they’ve been playing together a long time versus the 10 days of preparation for us.”

Guiao said the same issues continue to hound the Philippines. “Lack of time to prepare and inexperience as a team playing together,” he said. “But just as in the Asian Games, we will battle to the end. We’re looking at our matchups. Bahrami and (Mohammad) Jamshidi are big guards and wingmen and we’re hoping Gabe (Norwood) and Allein (Maliksi) match up well with them. We should be fine at the one and two positions.”

Guiao said the team is ready to rumble. “The players are in an excellent mood,” he said. “(SBP chairman emeritus) MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan) hosted us for lunch and gave us a nice sendoff. Everybody is in high spirits. The team is ready for a hard fight in hostile territory. Our team looks tough physically and mentally.”

The fourth window is the start of the second round of hostilities in the Qualifiers. The fifth window is scheduled on Nov. 26-Dec. 4 and the sixth on Feb. 18-26. Of the 16 teams in the Qualifiers, eight will advance to the World Cup on Aug. 31-Sept. 15. The eight teams include host China. After the first three windows, four teams were eliminated – India, Iraq, Hong Kong and Chinese-Taipei.

The 12 survivors are split into two groups of six. In one group are Jordan, Lebanon, New Zealand, South Korea, China and Syria. The other group is made up of Australia, Iran, Philippines, Kazakhstan, Japan and Qatar. The top three finishers of each bracket will advance to the World Cup plus the best fourth placer from either group. Australia and Iran are tied with 5-1 records and the Philippines is third at 4-2 in their group. Kazakhstan is 3-3 while Japan and Qatar are 2-4 each. A win over Iran will put the Philippines in second place. Another win over Qatar in Manila on Sept. 17 will solidify its standing among the top three.