17 August 2010
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s string of wins remained unbroken this weekend as the national basketball team was crowned champions of the FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup 2010, following a narrow win against the Philippines in the semi-finals and a very impressive victory over Japan in the final at the Ghazir Club Court.
The game was attended by a packed stadium that included Lebanese President Michel Sleiman, Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud and various top members of the Lebanese Basketball Federation.
Saturday saw Lebanon go head-to-head with the Philippines for the second time this tournament, after they had already played in the group stages. In contrast with the group match, which Lebanon won without too much difficulty 74-59, the semi-final clash went to the wire.
Lebanon managed to keep a slim lead going into the final quarter. The guests turned the screws, closing the lead down, with Lebanon ending the game with a very slim one point win in a final score of 81-80.
In the final on Sunday, both Japan and Lebanon had very impressive records going into the game, although Japan had lost in the group stage to Iran.
The first quarter saw Lebanon Fadi al-Khatib and Jackson Broman both putting on some very impressive displays of attacking, fast-paced basketball. While Japan scored a few points in the opening sparring minutes, Lebanon achieved a comfortable 21 point lead by the end of the first quarter.
Having done that, the hosts never looked back. Into the second quarter, Lebanon kept the lead, and stretched it another five points, leaving Japan unable to counter the offensive strategies. Lapses in the Lebanese defense were allowed, as the attack was simply cancelling out any Japanese chances for a comeback.
The third quarter saw more of the same, as Rony Fahad scored seven of his famous three pointers, making him top scorer of the game with 23 points.
Close behind, Khatib had another excellent game with 21 points. By the end of the game, the result was a forgone conclusion, as Lebanon won the final with a score of 97-59.
The score may be deceiving though, as it was not Japan’s weakness that let them down. It was more a case of Lebanon knowing how to deal with fast breaks on one hand, and score enough points on the other to make lapses in defense count for less. From the very beginning, Lebanon was putting pressure on the Japanese defense, taking the fight to them, and by the time Japan had gotten into their stride, the uphill climb to get back into the game was too steep for them.
Commenting on this, Lebanese coach Tab Baldwin said: ““Well, it certainly wasn’t as easy as it looked. We had to press hard right from the word go. Japan live and die by fast breaks. I was proud of the way we stopped them.”
The game, and the tournament as a whole, showed a lot of promise for Baldwin’s team. Khatib’s fitness is much improved, Broman remains a very impressive offensive player, and the team is still able to hold its own minus the two stars, as Fahad was top scorer in the final.
Though their performance was nothing to make the giants shiver, it was enough to gain the respect of opponents waiting in Turkey at the upcoming World Championships – and turn a few heads with style at the same time.
Commenting on the game, Khatib said: “To win a final game of a FIBA Asia event in front of the home crowd is the greatest moment for any national team. And to win it in the presence of our president makes it even more special.”
Copyright The Daily Star 2010.
