FIBA Asia Championships 2015: Semifinals Bracket, Schedule and Live Stream
Four teams are left standing in pursuit of the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship title and direct qualification into the 2016 Olympics. It's a group that includes the finalists from two years ago, champion Iran and the runner-up Philippines, as well as China and Japan.
All of the semifinalists performed at a high level during the quarterfinals, with the Gilas Pilipinas' 12-point triumph over Lebanon being the closest game of the round. That points toward a highly competitive and entertaining pair of games Friday.
Let's check out the schedule for the tournament's penultimate round. That's followed by an updated look at the bracket for the knockout stages and a preview of the semifinal matchups.
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Semifinal Schedule
| Friday, Oct. 2 | 7:30 a.m. | China vs. Iran | LiveBasketball.TV |
| Friday, Oct. 2 | 9:30 a.m. | Japan vs. Philippines | LiveBasketball.TV |
Knockout Round Bracket
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final |
| Philippines 82 | ||
| Lebanon 70 | Philippines | |
| Japan | ||
| Qatar 67 | ||
| Japan 81 | TBD | |
| TBD | ||
| China 104 | ||
| India 58 | China | |
| Iran | ||
| Iran 75 | ||
| South Korea 62 |
Game Previews
China vs. Iran
China remains unbeaten in the event in large part due to the matchup problems it can create on the interior. Yi Jianlian, who's averaging 18 points and eight rebounds, leads the charge, but Wang Zhelin and Zhou Qi have also played key frontcourt roles.
Iran is one of the few teams that should be able to match up effectively. The tandem of Mohammad Hassanzadeh and Hamed Haddadi is putting up more than 22 points and 15 rebounds, while both are shooting better than 55 percent from the field.
It's a rare situation where neither team will likely hold a clear edge in the post. It adds more intrigue into the equation for an already hyped game. Sid Ventura of Sports 5 has high expectations:
With the post players canceling each other out, the focus will shift to the perimeter. More specifically, a lot will probably be decided by which team is able to get hot from beyond the arc. Iran is averaging nine threes per game compared to seven for China.
All told, this matchup has all the makings of an instant classic. The teams match up well, and both sides have played well throughout the tournament. A few plays, either positive or negative, in the fourth quarter will make the difference.
Japan vs. Philippines
It's quite amazing to see how far the Philippines has come since the start of the Toyota Four Nations Cup in late August. A blowout loss to the Netherlands started a winless three-game appearance in that event, but the team has made steady progress in the weeks that followed.
The question is how it responds after an emotional win over Lebanon. Andray Blatche admitted afterward that comments from opposing coach Veselin Matic about getting to face the Philippines instead of Iran, in which he used the word "easy," provided motivation, per Musong R. Castillo of Inquirer.net.
"We don't treat our opponents that way he referred to us," Blatche said. "You know what, it was playing them that was 'easy.'"
Blatche has been a force for Gilas, averaging 17.3 points and 9.3 rebounds, but he's had a lot of help to reach this stage. Guards Terrence Romeo and Jayson Castro have both carried over their strong play from the warm-up tournaments. Together, they are connecting on nearly five threes per game.
The Philippines has faced Japan twice over the past month. It scored a 15-point win in the William Jones Cup and won by seven earlier in this event. So as long as it avoids a setback similar to the one it had against Palestine, a trip to the final should await, and Iran could very well be the opponent once again.
All stats courtesy of FIBA.com.
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