FIBA Asia - Pressure builds as road to Spain narrows

MANILA (FIBA Asia Championship/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - The pressure is starting to build at the FIBA Asia Championship in Manila, with just three games remaining until the knockout round, and the dream of making it to the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain in 2014 starting to fade for some teams.

Chinese Taipei, Iran, Kazakhstan and Qatar take unblemished records into the Second Round, while China , Hong Kong, India and Jordan have ground to make up with no points carrying over from the Preliminary Round.

The Chinese face a crucial second round opener against Kazakhstan on Monday, and the big question on their fans' minds is will Yi Jianlian play?

After starring in their tournament-opening loss to Korea, Yi has only been sighted in street clothes and coach Panagiotis Giannakis said their focus is on having him healthy for the knockout round.

A win will all but guarantee the Kazaks a place in the Quarter-Finals, but the defending champs are a step up in company from what Kazakhstan have faced so far. They will need point guard Jerri Jonson (16.3 points, 7.3 assists) to continue his excellent form to withstand China's pressure and cause an upset.

Japan take a 1-1 split into the second phase but face the Philippines and their daunting crowd first up, with the hosts keen to atone for their narrow loss to Chinese Taipei.

Behind Larry Fonacier the Filipino offense was in fifth gear on Saturday but they simply couldn't stop their East Asian rivals, so expect a tougher defensive effort against the Japanese.

Perhaps the most intriguing game of Day 5 will be Qatar and Jordan, with a likely match-up between star naturalised players Jarvis Hayes and Jimmy Baxter sure to entertain.

Hayes is leading the tournament in scoring (22.5 points on 57 percent shooting), narrowly ahead of Baxter who is piling in 22 points per game.

A loss for Jordan will put them on the precipice of elimination, with a Quarter-Final match-up against Iran looming if they can squeak through. While most would see that as something to avoid, the Jordanians might feel history is on their side.

Korea are expected to bounce back from their tough loss to Iran when they play Bahrain in the evening's final game.

The Iranians could well run up a cricket score when they take on India earlier in the day, and Hong Kong will search for their first victory against the confident shooters from Chinese Taipei.

The next three days will decide who stays in the race for Spain 2014, with four teams from each pool (E and F) qualifying for the Quarter-Finals.

For full and in-depth coverage of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, go to the official website http://manila2013.fibaasia.net.

FIBA