2017 FIBA Asia Cup - The Finals
The FIBA Asia Cup 2017 continued to be a tense and entertaining affair right to the end. Even with everything on the line, all four teams continued to play the same offensive-minded basketball they had put on so far, making for an all the more electric end to the competition.
Semi-Finals
Two foes highly familiar with one another met up in the semi finals. New Zealand's superb run in the tournament came to an end against Australia, whose big play in the paint saw them run out comfortable winners, 106-79.
Iran completely dominated Korea in the first quarter, holding them to just three points in the first six minutes. Korea took advantage of some slack Iranian defence and behind some well executed, smart plays and an outstanding scoring performance from Jeon Jun-Beom saw them mount an incredible comeback. Korea actually took a six-point lead in the third quarter, but Iran fought back with some superb three-point shooting. The game went down to the wire, where Iran's strength and vision out-did the Koreans' resolve. Iran fought hard for the win, but secured their place in the final by just six points.
Placement Round
After suffering quarter final defeat, Philippines finished in seventh place with a 75-70 win over Jordan in the placement game. Lebanon and China faced off for fifth place, with the host nation missing out by a single point, China taking a top five spot with a 79-78 victory.
Third place looked like it would be New Zealand's, as the playoff began, but the Tall Blacks were not giving it their all, as they had been doing earlier on in the tournament, and Korea took full advantage. Highly alert both on offence and defence, as well as five three-pointers from Heo Ung, the skills of confident-looking Korea saw them win the bronze medal over New Zealand, 80-71.
The Final
Both Australia and Iran managed a good amount of inside points as the final began, but as it continued Australia's athletic advantage would be what decided the outcome of this game. Brad Newley led his team with 18 points in a big, attacking gameplay that laid waste to Iran's defence. Despite the best efforts of Iran, Australia's swarming defence limited their shots, and then managed both plenty of fast break points and points from turnovers.
Hamed Haddadi, who had 18 points in the final for Iran, was named tournament MVP for the fourth time, but superior play throughout from Australia saw them lift the trophy on finals day. They make history here as the first team to win two different FIBA continental championships.
As well as Australia, this tournament saw many great displays of basketball and the emergence of some new international talent. The majority of teams put everything into their play in this year's Asia Cup, which made it all the more enjoyable to watch.
Full details on the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup can be found on the tournament's official website.
