Coach rues Iranians poor halftime finish

CHANGSHA – Iran coach Dirk Bauermann pointed to his wards’ sloppy plays towards the end of the first half as key factors to their downfall against Gilas Pilipinas.

“Instead of going into the halftime with a 13-point lead, we’re only up by six,” rued Bauermann.

“They (the Filipinos) got a crucial swing that gave them hope and energy going into the final half,” he added.

In that stretch, Hamed Haddadi hit a split, Saberi Hassanzadeh missed a layup then Haddadi muffed a follow-up, enabling Gilas Pilipinas to get the last possession in the closing seconds of the first half.

Jayson Castro played the clock before setting up Ranidel de Ocampo for a trey that trimmed the gap to 37-43 at the turn.

The Iranians actually built a 10-point cushion, 47-37, at the outset of the third quarter before the Filipinos finally hit their rhythm and stole the game in the end.

“We’re the better team in the first half but it doesn’t mean a thing as we’ve got to play well in each half,” said Bauermann, former coach of the German national team.

“In the second half, I don’t understand the way we played. We played without pace,” Bauermann also said.

He added their lopsided victories in their first four games here could have worked against them in this particular game.

“Sometimes, when you win three games by 40 points, it’s not good as much as you’re trying not to let up. That happened today. We thought it’s going to be smooth sailing. But it’s not,” he said.

He stressed, though, that he’s not taking anything away from the Filipinos, saying they’re really a tough team especially with Andray Blatche.

“Blatche gives them a new dimension. All teams are happy to have a stretch four (shooting big forward). If you have a stretch five (shooting center), and you can put on the floor a great shooter like Ranidel de Ocampo and a super guard with an athletic ability, it makes it very difficult defensively (for your opponent),” he said.

“If they shoot the ball like they did today, they will be difficult to beat,” he added.