China thumps Lebanon for title

SHANGHAI – China’s basketball version of its Great Wall turned out to be just as impregnable.

Lebanon found this out Saturday night when it bowed to China, 93-67, in the 21st LG Asian Basketball Championship for Men presented by Amway at the Shanghai Stadium.

Shackled no end by the 7-foot-6 Yao Ming, 7-foot-1 Wang Zhizhi and 6-11 Menk Batere, the Lebanese simply faded and allowed the Chinese to retain their crown before adoring countrymen.

With Yao, Wang and Menk controlling the boards and Hu Weidong finding his mark, the Chinese jumped to a 49-27 spread at halftime, leaving little doubt as to the game’s outcome.

So unlike their melee-marred first encounter, when the Chinese had to sweat it out before subduing the Lebanese, 76-67. This time, the Chinese came out ready and steady, while the Lebanese couldn’t weave the magic that enabled them to stun the South Koreans in the semifinals.

Lebanon coach Carl John Neumann said his players were so propped up with their 75-72 victory over the Koreans on Friday that they stayed awake the whole night and were not in their best element. Neumann, however, admitted that the Chinese, 10th placers in the Sydney Olympics, were too big, too sleek to handle.

Averaging over 6-foot-7 in height, the Chinese towered over the Lebanese, whose tallest guy 6-foot-11 Joseph Vogel suddenly found himself dwarfed at the shaded lane, and they put this to good use in claiming their 12th ABC Men’s title in 14 appearances.

Even Lebanon star Fadi El Khatib could do little as Hu, MVP of the 1999 Fukuoka edition, stuck to him like a leech and Li Nan was always around to help.

The Lebanese, the West Asian champions, were not really disappointed by the result. Aside from barging into the final for the first time, the Lebanese also earned the right to join the Chinese as Asian representatives to the 2002 World Championship for Men to be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, from Aug. 29-Sept. 8.