China or Philippines - who will survive this rematch?
BEIRUT (FIBA Asia Cup 2017) - Things are sure to get testy when storied rivals China and Philippines collide on Day 2 of the FIBA Asia Cup 2017.
BEIRUT (FIBA Asia Cup 2017) - Things are sure to get testy when storied rivals China and Philippines collide on Day 2 of the FIBA Asia Cup 2017.
China and the Philippines last met in the FIBA Asia Championship 2015 Final with the former prevailing, 78-67. That was a colorful encounter laced with a rowdy crowd, high levels of physicality and scoring runs from both sides. We can probably expect as much in today's rematch of that 2015 Final despite the fact many of the protagonists from two years ago won't be around in Beirut. Both China and Gilas Pilipinas are missing elite players like Yi Jianlian, Zhou Qi and Andray Blatche, which means some other guys will need to step into the spotlight.
Key Matchups: Without a doubt, the most anticipated matchup here is between Jayson Castro and Guo Ailun. In 2015, Jayson Castro was named to the All-Star Five for a second time, but he was thoroughly outplayed in the Final by Guo. This time around, Castro must not let that happen again. He needs to lead by example, and that means he must put up big numbers. If he doesn't, the Filipinos' chances of winning diminish dramatically. On the other end, Guo is perhaps the most well-rounded guard in all of Asia. He sees the floor well and has a penchant for scoring when his team needs it the most. He displayed this quite notably in their victory over Gilas in two years ago. If Guo lets loose again, China will win.
Key Stat: Speed and shooting - these are the things the Philippines must do well to be able to stick with China and have a shot at winning. China will attempt to overwhelm Gilas Pilipinas with their tremendous size advantage, and the only way the Philippines can effectively counter is by hitting their outside shots and pushing the tempo. Aside from Castro, key players like Terrence Romeo, Matthew Wright, Calvin Abueva and Japeth Aguilar all need to hit their stride. Otherwise, this contest could be over sooner rather than later, and China may just walk all over the Philippines.
FIBA