FIBA Asia Championship 2013 has entered the semifinal stage where the Philippines, South Korea, Iran and Chinese Taipei contest not only for a spot in the championship game but as well as the two of three available berths for next year's FIBA World Cup in Spain.

FIBA Asia 2013

All of a sudden, it's down to the final four. This year's FIBA Asia has produced all kinds of storylines in roughly two weeks of top basketball competition in the Philippines. And now the story gets even better.

Iran vs. Chinese Taipei

From day one, Iran unleashed an all-out onslaught in the tournament, dominating the competition with relative ease. The proven trio of Hamed Haddadi, Mehdi Kamrani and Samad Nikkhah Bahrami has been unstoppable on both ends of the floor. In their swashbuckling 94-50 quarterfinal victory against Jordan, Iran's Big 4 combined for 39 points and at the same time anchored their impregnable defense throughout the ballgame.

However, it will be interesting how Iran will stop a team that is shooting over 40 percent from behind the three-point line. Coming off an emotional quarterfinal win over China, Chinese Taipei enters the semifinal round with confidence at all-time high. That sounds like a big problem for Iran because a streaking Chinese Taipei becomes even more dangerous.

Chih-Chieh Lin, Cheng-Ju Lu and naturalized center Quincy Davis III, who were instrumental in the 96-78 upset win against China, will be tested once again as they try to knock out another Asian superpower on their way to their first FIBA Asia finals stint in more than seven decades.

Philippines vs. South Korea

The home crowd has been huge for the Philippines throughout the competition, feeding their players the energy to come up with big plays on both ends. After breaking Kazakhstan's hearts with a masterful 88-58 quarterfinal win, it's time for the Filipino dribblers to exorcise their demons in the presence of the South Korea.

Time and time again, the South Koreans have dealt the Filipinos its darkest hours because of their unexplained ability to beat the Philippines when it all counted the most. From the tragedy in 2002 Busan Asian Games to the collapse in Wuhan two years ago, the South Koreans inflicted so much pain in the hearts of the Filipino to the point that it's becoming an infamous curse in the annals of Philippine basketball.

However, with 20,000 Filipinos fans expected to jam into the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday evening, the Philippines dribblers are ready to break that curse and give the Koreans a long-due payback. Gary David, Gabe Norwood, Jeff Chan, Jason William and Ranidel de Ocampo will be all ready to provide the firepower for the Philippines. Yet, a victory won't be easy at all especially if naturalized center Marcus Douthhit is currently nursing a calf injury.

On the Korean side, they will pin their hopes on another brilliant performance from mainstays Sungmin Cho and Seung Jun Lee who buried Qatar 79-52 in the final quarterfinal match on Friday. In addition, almost everybody in this squad can wax hot from outside, making it another upheaval matchup for the Filipinos.

Related Story: FIBA Asia 2013: NBA Scout Evaluates Prospects; Puts Several Members of Gilas Pilipinas on Database

Live Stream Information, Results and Stats

Consolation Games

China vs. Jordan 3:00 pm, Kazakhstan vs. Qatar 10:30 pm (Perth Time)

Semifinals

Philippines vs. South Korea 8:30 pm, Iran vs. Chinese Taipei 5:45 pm - all Perth time (+8 GMT)

Live Streaming of the FIBA Asia Championships is available on Watch Online Livestream: FIBA Asia Finals - Philippines vs Iran; South Korea vs. Chinese Taipei (Preview & Online Streaming Info)

FIBA Asia 2013 - 'Five Possible Scenarios' to Look Ahead in Philippines vs Iran Championship Game (Philippines vs. South Korea Semis Replay)

Statistics and running score are available on the tournament's official Web site at FIBA Asia Championships 2013

*Note - To avoid pop out page, don't clink any advertisement until it automatically closes. After that, click the maximize button on the streaming screen for better viewing experience.