FIBA Asia Quarterfinals Recap: Iran Pummels Jordan, 94-50
In 2011, defending FIBA Asia champion Iran met upstart WABA team Jordan in what many expected to be a rout. Iran had blitzed through the opposition in the tournament, while Jordan had a not-so-stellar record in the group stages - it was almost a won game even before the opening tip, with Iran parading 7'2" NBA center Hamed Haddadi and the rest of the squad that upended China in 2009 to earn a slot in the FIBA World Championship.
However, Jordan would go on to beat Iran, leaving the latter out in the cold. It would later massacre the Philippines in the semifinal round and push China to the limit, earning itself a berth in the 2012 Olympic qualifier.
It was no surprise, though, that Iran would go into their 2013 quarterfinal matchup looking for payback. And, yes, they got back at Jordan - in a major way.
Against a Jordan team that had lost guard Rasheim Wright and forward Zaid Abbas in the off-season, Iran started the game dominant, scoring 31 points in the first quarter while holding their opponents down to just 11. The rout continued in the second quarter, and at the half, Iran led by 25. The second half was no different: Iran outscored their opponents by 19 en route to a 44-point beatdown.
So dominant was Iran's game that they led in almost all statistical categories: they had inside 34 points to Jordan's 18, had ten three-pointers against five for Jordan, and boxed out their counterparts well, outrebounding Jordan 41-24. Five players scored in double figures for the Iranians, with Haddadi leading the way with 20. Haddadi also grabbed 8 rebounds and blocked 3 shots. Point guar Mahdi Kamrani finished with 11 assists in what could be a FIBA career performance for him.
In contrast, only Jimmy Baxter - Wright's replacement naturalized player - scored more than ten, shooting just 4 of 14 for 13 points.
Iran will meet the winner of the China-Chinese Taipei game in the semifinals. The Chinese finally played former NBA player Yi Jianlian against Bahrain on Wednesday in preparation for the knockout round, and is expected to be a tough matchup for Iran's platoon of big men.