Matic: We are the underdogs

CHANGSHA – Lebanon coach Veselin Matic has expressed relief after drawing Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Asia Championship quarterfinals, instead of Iran.

“No Iran, now Philippines. We can play Philippines easy, easy,” said the European coach in broken English.

“We are the underdogs 100 percent but that’s the best position when you’re out. Everybody likes it. No pressure. You just have to play,” Matic also said.

Matic is a two-time FIBA Asia champion coach with Iran and he has a good winning record versus Gilas Pilipinas from its time under coach Rajko Toroman.

He’s convinced Gilas is a lighter opponent than Iran despite the presence of Andray Blatche in Team Phl.

“We don’t care too much. He’s (Blatche) a very good player. I’m very surprised he’s not in the NBA. His quality is of a tough, tough NBA player. But he’s now a little bit out of shape. I have scouted him from the FIBA World Championship,” said Matic.

The Lebanese feel they can compete well with the Filipinos, pointing out the difference in their playoff seedings will not in any way have any bearing in their do-or-die battle.

“This is a good matchup,” Matic insisted.

“We did our job to be No. 8. Now it’s game by game. We came here to play game by game,” he added.

Meanwhile, former Kent State guard Jay Youngblood and 2010 World Cup veterans Jean Abdelnour and Rodrigue Akl banner the rugged Lebanese team challenging Gilas Pilipinas.

Guards Amir Saoud and Wael Arakji and forwards Mohamad Ali Saidar, Ahmad Ibrahim and Bassel Bawji are the other key players of the Lebanese team out for a triumphant return from a two-year suspension in the FIBA rolls.

Upon the lifting of their FIBA ban, the Lebanese swept their way to the West Asia Basketball Association championship and got into the FIBA Asia quarterfinals with crucial wins over Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan and Jordan.

With a relatively young team with an average of 26, the Lebanese are determined to go as far as they could in the knockout round.

From their WABA run, the Lebanese have been banking largely on Youngblood, Haidar, Ibrahim and Saoud, all averaging in double figures here.

Youngblood, the team’s naturalized player, norms 19.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals in 33.7 minutes a game.

The 6-foot-4 guard, an All-Mid-American Conference First Team honoree in 2006, anchors Lebanon’s run-and-gun style of play.    

Among the Lebanon locals, Gilas coach Tab Baldwin points to Abdelnour, Haidar and Saoud as players that can really hurt any opponent.

“Those guys can always shoot the ball so well,” said Baldwin.

They play small-ball or fast-paced basketball since their biggest guys are only couples of 6-foot-8s in Bawji, Haidar, Charles Tabet and Joseph Kheres.

Nonetheless, Lebanon coach Veselin Matic insists they can defend Filipino naturalized player Andray Blatche.

They clipped the Taiwanese, 92-87; cut the tall Kazakhs down to size, 91-55; and toppled the Jordanians.

In six games in the preliminaries, Lebanon averaged 84.3 points, 39.8 rebounds, 12.5 steals, 8.5 steals and 4.0 blocks against 13.7 errors compared to Gilas norms of 90.5 markers, 49.0 boards, 12.5 feeds, 9.5 steals and 3.3 blocks against 11.7 errors.

The Lebanese have better shooting percentages – 39.3 from the three-point land and 50.2 from the two-point zone. The Filipinos are hitting at 36.2-percent clip from the three-point area and 49.7 percent from the two-point zone.