Are you ready? Let’s go! The 3×3 basketball season has started! Although preparatory competitions for Pro-tour teams and national teams are in full swing in Europe, the 3×3 Asian Cup kicked off an exciting season of 3×3 basketball. usport.com.ua tells you the main things you need to know about the competition.
Who won?
The Australian team confirmed its status as the leading country in the region in 3×3 basketball, winning both championship titles. Even though Australia now has four victories in the seven 3×3 Asian Cups, the double triumph happened only for the second time after 2019.
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The Australian men’s team regained the title of the best in the region, playing in the fifth consecutive final. The Australians started in the qualification, where they defeated Tahiti 21:5, Kyrgyzstan 21:6, and Kazakhstan 18:7. That was followed by group wins over Japan 20-13 and the Philippines 21-13 in the quarterfinals over top seed China 21-15 and revenge in the semifinals for last year’s final loss to Mongolia 21-11. The final against Iran also passed without a chance for the opponent – 21:7.
72% shooting efficiency (by far the first place in the tournament), the best team in terms of one-pointers (66%), two-pointers (39%), and the second in free throws (79%) – the Australians deservedly triumphed.
Mongolia, last year’s champions, finished the 3×3 Asian Cup with bronze medals after a thrilling 21-18 victory over New Zealand.
The Australian women’s national team defended the championship title. But if last year the Australians dominated the court and did not allow any opponent to score more than 11 points, this time it did not work out like that. In the group, Australia started with a victory over last year’s finalist, New Zealand, 22:9 and beat India 21:7. Next, Thailand 21:8. Mongolia 21:6 fell under the rink of the Australian women, but in the final, New Zealand gave a fight. Intrigue in the match lasted until the last when, during the final minute, Alex Wilson brought Australia two points and removed the question of the winner.
New Zealand had a tough road to the final, with one-point wins over Japan and Chinese Taipei in the playoffs, but their silver was well-deserved. Mongolia took bronze for their first medal since 2013, when they took silver.
Who failed?
Having the first seed means you have a different attitude and requirements, but the Chinese men’s national team needed to live up to its status. The key was the first match against Iran, in which the Chinese could not find the keys to the opponent’s defense and conceded to them 13:15. This defeat cost China a group victory and a meeting with Australia in the quarterfinals.
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China became one of the worst in the primary grid regarding rebounds; the team shot very little from beyond the arc, and in general, according to statistics, nothing particularly stood out.
The Chinese women’s national team was also left without medals, but only one match was unsuccessful in the quarterfinals against Mongolia. The Chinese women won their group and entered the playoffs as favorites but were defeated by Mongolia 20:7 in the first round.
Sensations
The Iranian national team is in the men’s grid, which was seeded 15 before the start and won silver in the end. Having started in the qualifiers, the Iranians there defeated Chinese Taipei 21:10 and Hong Kong 20:10. In the group, they beat China 15:13 and the hosts Singapore 21:12. In the quarterfinals, they continued their sensational run with a victory over Japan 14:12. Then, New Zealand was beaten 21:11, and only Australia in the final stopped the Iranians’ winning streak.
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From being one of the worst teams in shooting, Iran became one of the best defensively, showing a challenging game under their shield. At the same time, the team became second in rebounds (best in defensive rebounds) and one of the best in earned fouls, which also speaks of aggressiveness in attack.
The best players
FIBA chose Australia’s Todd Blanchfield as the MVP of the men’s tournament, who was the only holdover from last year’s Australian squad at the Asian Cup and this year’s top scorer with 47 points and earned a rating of 51.1.
Iran’s Ehsan Dalirzahan and Mongolia’s Anand Ariunbold joined Blanchfield on the tournament team.
We will note another player of the Australian national team, Will Hickey, who scored 27 points (becoming the fourth scorer of the competition) and received the third rating of the tournament — 44.9. He also became the best in the number of highlights of the Asian Cup 3×3 (22), performed three dunks (the second indicator of the tournament), put four blocks (the best indicator of the tournament), and became fifth in rebounds.
Among women, the 30-year-old Australian Alex Wilson became the best and received the highest player rating (41.6). It was her long-range shot in the final against New Zealand that ultimately eliminated the question of who would win.
For the second year in a row, Sharne Pupuke-Robati from New Zealand made the team of the tournament, and Ariuntsetseg Bat-Erdene from Mongolia was also included in the symbolic team.
We should also note another Australian, Anneli Meili, who, with 31 points, became the best scorer of the tournament, second in rating (40.7), second in shooting from beyond the arc (56%), and best in rebounds.
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The best game
In this section, we will highlight the men’s tournament match in group D between New Zealand and Malaysia. A battle of styles – New Zealand focused on aggressive passes under the ring, while Malaysia tried to “outshoot” the opponent with shots from beyond the arc. The whole match was a swing on the court and the game went to overtime, where Chris McIntosh showed his shooting skills and composure under pressure to give New Zealand a 21-19 victory.
What’s next?
Next on the calendar is the first Olympic qualification tournament, which Hong Kong will host from April 12 to 14.
According to the world ranking among those teams, the hosts and the best seven national teams not represented at the last two Olympics in 5×5 basketball will play here. For men, the teams are the Netherlands, Mongolia, Latvia, Austria, Switzerland, Egypt, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. For women, the teams are Hungary, Netherlands, Azerbaijan, Poland, Egypt, Mongolia, Chile, and Hong Kong.
One license for the Paris 2024 Olympics will be drawn here and there. In the women’s grid, Ukraine needs to cheer for the European team’s victory. Why? Read the answer on usport.com.ua in the announcement on the eve of the start of the qualifying tournament in Hong Kong.
