MANILA, Philippines - Defending back-to-back titlist Mahram of Iran will take on Smart Gilas in the knockout semifinals of the 22nd FIBA-Asia Champions Cup at the Philsports Arena tonight.
Gilas beat Al Jala’a, 85-80, to advance to the semis against Mahram. Coach Rajko Toroman will now go up against five players on the Iranian national squad that he brought to the 2008 Beijing Olympics – 6-6 Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, 6-0 Mahdi Kamrani, 6-1 Javad Davari, 6-8 Oshin Sahakian and 6-1 Hamed Afagh.
“I know them all, even those who didn’t go to the Olympics because they’re in the national pool,” said Toroman. “They’ve even gotten stronger with their imports (Cheikh) Samb and (Chris) Williams. The man to watch is Samad who’s like a son to me. He took off for eight months to rehab his knee, missing the Asian Games and World Championships last year. Samad was with the national team I coached at the FIBA-Asia Championships in 2007 and the Olympics.”
Bahrami, 28, was the sixth leading scorer in the Olympics with a 17.2 clip, ranking behind only Pau Gasol, Luis Scola, Yao Ming, Manu Ginobili and naturalized player J. R. Holden of Russia.
Celebrating his return from sick bay, Bahrami poured in 34 points in Mahram’s 105-96 overtime win over Zob Ahan to clinch the Iranian superleague title in Game 5 of the best-of-five finals two weeks ago. Samb, a 7-1 center who played for four teams in two NBA seasons, compiled 35 points and 23 rebounds in the closer.
Bahrami, who holds a French passport, has played in the French and the NBA summer leagues. He nearly quit basketball after older brother Aidin was killed in a car accident in Tehran in 2007. Toroman coached the Bahrami brothers on the Iran team that took the FIBA-Asia crown in Tokushima a few months earlier. Aidin was decapitated and his fiancée also died in the crash, their bodies badly mangled, but two passengers survived. It was Toroman who convinced Bahrami to honor his brother’s memory by continuing to play and the star forward responded with a spectacular performance in the Olympics the next year.
In the Group B eliminations of the Champions Cup, Bahrami averaged 14.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 34.3 minutes.
Iran coach Mehran Shahintab, a former police officer, plucked 6-10 Asghar Kardoust from the Tarabari Qom club and Afagh from Zob Ahan to reinforce Mahram for the Champions Cup. Kardoust, 25, averaged 12.5 points and 9.1 rebounds in the last Asian Games and was named the tournament’s Best Defensive Player. Afagh, 28, averaged a team-high 18.9 points at the Asian Games and took over the scoring chores in Bahrami’s absence.
Six Mahram cagers saw action for Iran in the Guangzhou Asian Games and five in the World Championships in Turkey last year. The players who suited up in both competitions were Davari, Kamrani, 5-10 Aren Davoodi, Sahakian and Kardoust.
Gilas has lost to Mahram in the two previous Champions Cups, 98-87 in 2009 and 86-72 last year. But Toroman will be out to avert a third straight setback.
Aside from Iran’s local stars, Shahintab relies on imports Samb and Williams. Filipino fans remember Williams playing two games for San Miguel Beer as an import in the 2009 PBA Fiesta Conference. The 6-7 forward from the University of Virginia has been a scorching scorer for Mahram in the Champions Cup, averaging 30 points in his first four outings. Williams, 30, has played in Australia, Korea, Turkey and China. Samb, 26, was the Los Angeles Lakers second round pick in the 2006 NBA draft and played for Detroit, Denver, the Los Angeles Clippers and New York in 22 total games over two seasons. Before moving to Iran, the Senegal tower had played overseas only in Spain. Samb averaged 15.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 blocked shots in the Group B Champions Cup eliminations.
Iran took the gold in the last two FIBA-Asia Championships but settled for the bronze in the last two Asian Games. Mahram joined the Champions Cup as Iran’s representative two years ago and hasn’t looked back, winning two titles in a row. Last year, Mahram’s imports were NBA veterans Jackson Vroman and Loren Woods. This year, Woods is with Lebanon.
Mahram failed to finish No. 1 in Group B after losing a 76-73 overtime decision to Al Riyadi of Lebanon last May 30. Iran had five less rebounds and four more turnovers but what killed Mahram was Lebanon’s advantage in free throws. Al Riyadi had 10 more conversions from the line. Mahram’s physical play took a toll as the referees called it tight, allowing Lebanon 20 more foul shots.
Iran is expected to play physical and pound it inside. Iran’s average height of 6-5 1/2 is significantly more than Gilas’ 6-2 1/2. Iran boasts of the tournament’s tallest player in 7-4 Jaber Rouzbahani then there’s 7-1 Samb to control the middle.
But Toroman knows which buttons to push. He knows the Iranian players inside out. It will come down to execution on both ends. The semis stint is the Philippines’ best finish in the Champions Cup since 1996 when Hapee Toothpaste claimed the crown.