CHN - Yi Li 'drives' China to London

WUHAN (FIBA Asia Championship) - In a game as tight and tense as the FIBA Asia Championship final between China and Jordan, pivotal moments are not hard to come by.

However, few moments had a bigger impact on the game than Yi Li's enormous one hand slam in the last quarter. China had not scored a field goal for almost five minutes, and Jordan had all but erased a lead that had been as many as 10 points.

With 2:05 remaining and China leading by just one point, Li up faked and then drove down the lane, soaring to the basket to finish emphatically with his right hand. It would be China's last and ultimately game winning field goal.

Coach Bob Donewald knew Yi Li was capable of something special. "I told Yi Li before this (tournament) started that he was going to be our secret weapon. He's had some big games, and that was a really big play," he said.

The dunk came at a crucial time when Donewald was searching for a way to crack the code. "Coming out of the timeout we talked about reversing the ball and getting to the basket because they didn't have any shot blockers.

"He said to me 'I'll get you one'," Donewald added. "He said it in English which shocked me more than the fact he said it! But it was an incredible play at the rim which really gave us some confidence."

From there China managed to close out the game in the dramatic final two minutes, star forward Yi Jianlian nailing a clutch free throw before China's vaunted defence survived a frantic final play.

Donewald also paid tribute to tournament MVP Yi Jianlian, who carried the team with in the final with 25 points, 16 rebounds and 6 blocks.

"He brings an intensity at a high level as well as an incredible skill both inside and out, and he loves to play defence. I am lucky to coach him," Donewald said, before speaking of his passion for the whole team that has been obvious to even the casual observer.

"But I am lucky to coach all 12 of these guys. This is a fun bunch to work with, and I hope we made the nation proud and the fans proud. It was a tough summer but it has been a great ending."

It was a tough beginning as China lost game after game at the Stankovic Cup in China and then on their European tour, suffering five lop-sided defeats. Donewald was thankful that the people who matter stood by his team.

"I want to thank the leaders of the CBA for staying with us, I want to thank my staff for keeping their heads down and just working," he said. "And I want to give a big thanks to my players, because they're going where they belong and that's London."

Donewald was also very respectful of the performance of Jordan, and was grateful that his most experienced players stepped up to the plate when the game was on the line.

"I thought it was a great basketball game. I thought we played very nervous, but the veterans came out in the third quarter and made a statement in the game. Jordan had to play catch up the rest of the game and that was the difference."

For China, it was always about only one thing. "We're going to where most people didn't think we would and that's the Olympics," Donewald finished.

FIBA